The Lost and the Twisted
by peterdarlingx
Summary: This is a darker adaptation of 'Peter Pan,' where we join the Darling siblings and Peter as they venture off in Neverland, a world where everything is twisted and is not always what it seems. Love is scary to have and death is more common than you think. Rated M for language, sexual themes, substance abuse, use of alcohol, and others.
1. Wendy

_Wendy_, they called her. She was born with hair bright as autumn leaves, skin smooth as fine China and eyes bright like the Sargasso Sea. Her skin was freckled head to toe. She grew up under a roof with her wealthy parents, George and Mary, and lived alongside her brothers, John and Michael.

She was always young and free until the night she turned eighteen, when she knew that everything was going to change. "Wendy," her mother said, patting a seat beside her in the living room. "You're eighteen," she sighed. "You're getting old my dear and I think it's time you get married."

"You're right – I'm eighteen," Wendy replied. "But I think that's too early to get married. I want to live young and free and not have to worry about getting married," she pouted, rolling her eyes as she sat down. "Besides, there's nobody that I'd fancy marrying anyway," her English accent snottily added on.

"We can find you suitors," Mary suggested. "Can't we, George?" she turned her head around, calling out to her husband who was working hastily in his office behind the living room. He did nothing but shrug, unaware of what was even happening in the conversation. "Wendy sweetheart," she placed one hand on Wendy's back. "I believe it's time you've grown up. I think you've been around your brothers far too much," she confessed.

Wendy cringed, feeling offended. "First of all mum, I am very much grown up. Second of all, even if I have been around my brothers too much, they're equally as mature as I am. John's sixteen and Michael's always been clever for his age," she said. "Mum, you can't force me to marry. I want to find somebody and fall in love with them and do it when the time is right – not be forced into a wedding that I couldn't give a shit about," she snorted.

"Don't use that language under my roof young lady," George called out.

"You've told me to grow up and as far as I know, that's what grown-ups do," Wendy snapped. "Grown-ups stand up for themselves and that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm not getting married," she assured, making short pauses between each word in her last sentence. "Good night," she shook her head as she stood up from the couch and made her way up to her room.

She slammed the door behind her, startling her younger brother John. John was in his bedroom, painting away on his canvas. John had always loved arts and was in every art club there was in school. However, because of his love for drama, poetry, and museums filled with masterpieces, he was always made fun of. John had no friends other than his siblings. He adjusted his glasses as he walked over to Wendy's door and gave it a gentle knock. "You alright?" he asked.

"No," Wendy replied in short. "I don't want to talk about it," she paused. "Actually, I do," she shook her head behind the door. "Or maybe I don't – I… I don't know," she exhaled deeply. John smirked a little to himself before getting into her room. He closed the door again behind her, assuring her that he was the only one there that could hear her. John and Wendy had always been close siblings, ever since John was born.

"So what's up now?" he asked.

"Mum and dad want me to get married," Wendy frowned, lying down on her bed. "Can you believe it? Me? Married?" she asked.

"Yeah, I can't believe it at all," John cringed. "Who the hell would marry you?"

"Hey!" Wendy lightly tossed a pillow at John's head. He laughed a little.

"I'm sorry. But aren't you too young to get married?" he asked, face a little disgusted.

"That's what I told them," Wendy stuffed her hands under her pillow. "But now they're just rambling on and on about how I'm getting old and I need to get more mature and they're going to find me suitors… all of that junk," she closed her eyes. "I'm just so tired of all of that. Sometimes it's not just family tradition that I'm tired of, but family _itself_," she sat up in her bed. "Is it just me?" she asked.

John shook his head as he sat beside her on the bed. "I've always wanted to run away from home. Being a middle child sucks," he sighed. "I don't know if you've noticed but they've always seemed to put me in deep shit for no reason – and I have no friends here anyway. Hell, if I was to die tomorrow, nobody would even notice."

"I would notice," Wendy frowned. "Michael would notice, too. Don't say that."

"I know," John smiled, placing one arm around Wendy. Although he was younger, he had always been taller. "It's just… I totally understand what you mean. Sometimes, I wish I could just get away from here. Mum and dad – I – I really love them but… they make me sick sometimes too," he admitted.

"Well, like they say; you can't choose your family," Wendy sighed. "Oh well. I'm glad you understand," she smiled. "I love you a bunch, John. Know that I'm always here for you. And if any of those bullies try to burn one of your paintings again, you need to let me know this time. That's what us big sisters are here for – we're there to kick people's asses," she winked, playfully punching John on the shoulder.

"Sure thing, Sis," John smiled. He yawned as he stretched out his arms. "Well, it's getting late. I'll see you in the morning. Good night now," he gave a quick wave as he left her room. Wendy nodded as she turned out the light, shutting the door behind John. She crawled into her bed and dreamed, not just of anything, but of a day when all her worries would fade away and she could just be free.


	2. Peter

Hook spiraled down the stairs as he ran into his office. Hook was a fearful man, somewhere in his mid-thirties. His hair ran slicked back and black, ending in gentle waves. It was cropped behind his ears, ended just at the top of his spine and gave way to his grimacing face. His eyes were dark crimson in colour. He had a moustache and a soul patch surrounding his thin, pale, pursed lips and a scar that ran from the widow's peak of his forehead to the cheek under his left eye. Clothed in the finest of red corduroy, Hook's trench coat flew as he fled. He stomped his way in his big black boots to his desk, where the seat was occupied by his assistant, Smee.

Smee looked up from his mustard sandwich as he noticed Hook's tall figure shadow above him. He adjusted the glasses that sat upon his nose and wiped his mouth quickly. "What is it, Captain?" he asked.

"Pan – where is he?" Hook asked. "And get that damn sandwich off of my desk. The ship already smells like enough mustard and I surely don't need my shit to match," he shook his head. Smee nodded quickly as he got up with his plate and sandwich in hand. He quickly ran to the opposite side of the room. "So Pan – where is he?" he reminded in demand.

"I-I don't know captain," Smee shrugged. "The last time I heard about him, the boys said he was just on the island but he didn't dare come close to the ship," he confessed. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Hook played with the curved piece of metal that replaced his left hand and shared his nickname. "I heard he's been planning some things… some new things… new ideas," he said. "And I don't like the sound of those ideas, Smee. He's planning to take over and steal my sweet Jolly Roger," he sighed, caressing the wooden plank walls that built his ship.

"Th-that's not good," Smee stuttered. "Do you want me to send out a search party?"

"No!" the captain pounded his hook into the desk as he slowly scraped away a little of it off. "If we send out a fucking search party, he'll know right away that I'm looking for him. And that, I cannot afford. I've had to deal with that bastard for too many years and through those years have I learned that he's a clever little rascal," he shook his head. "But no fear, Smee, soon enough Pan will be finished with for once and for all."

Smee nodded. "Well I'll tell the rest of the mates and if any of us see him, we'll let you know right away, sir," he saluted. Hook nodded as he shooed him away. Smee left instantly in a rush, his big belly bouncing along as he jogged.

On an island not too far from the Jolly Roger was Peter Pan. He laughed loudly as the wind blew through his light ash brown hair. It messed about in waves, toppling all over his head and some of them covered just about the top of his forehead. His eyes were light gold, filled with excitement. His pale skin was tinted in a glorious shade of pink at his cheeks and his smile was the most genuine kind. He looked about nineteen or twenty, but had no sign of facial hair anywhere. He was dressed head-to-foot in dirty ragged clothes. His top was a mid-length green shirt that was ripped here and there and had a v-shaped neckline, whereas his bottoms were simple khaki capris that were rolled up just to his knees. Peter Pan never wore any shoes, and therefore he had plenty of dirt stains covering his feet.

"Well Tink, what do you say?" asked Peter, turning over to his companion. She was about three inches tall. Her body was a perfectly curved hourglass figure and she wore a tight golden dress. A yellow-gold glow surrounded her body and she had lovely fairy wings that glimmered in a subtle shade of copper. Her hair was platinum blonde and was tied up in a bun, and she had eyes blue like the sea. "Tinkerbell, don't look at me like that," Peter sighed as she rested her hands on her hips.

"I am telling you Peter, we are perfectly fine here alone with the Lost Boys," her squeaky voice replied. "I don't think we need to bring them with us," she rolled her eyes, looking back up at him.

"That girl is beautiful," Peter said. "Come on. There's no such thing as too late to try."

And with that, Peter and Tinkerbell flew off into the sky and past the stars. They flew and they flew until they finally made their way to a place called New York, where he did his usual routine. He knocked on the windows of children and placed gifts at the foot of their doors and showed himself to orphans and told them stories. Finally, he made his way to his favourite place of all – the Darling residence, where he didn't go anywhere but the third floor of the home. He stood by the window and gazed in awe, while Tinkerbell started throwing a fit, throwing curses left and right. But Peter didn't care. All he cared about was once again seeing the beautiful girl that he watched sleep every night.

He then realized that he didn't even know her name. He quickly, but quietly, opened the window of her room and tiptoed in. Tinkerbell tried to scream to wake her up but Peter quickly covered her small face with his thumb and shoved her in his pocket. He slowly crept around the room until finally, he found a little diary. He opened it and skipped everything else she wrote, considering the fact he didn't like to read, and then finally saw what he was looking for. There it was, her name, written at the very end of the page. He closed the diary and placed it back into the bookshelf as he sat there and continued to watch her. "Sweet dreams," he paused in a gentle whisper. "Wendy," he added before drifting off to sleep to dream of sweet dreams of his own.


	3. The Sleeping Boy

**A/N: **Hello! Huge thank you to everybody who has been following and favouriting this story so far. I'm very new to this site and I'm so grateful. I'm sorry if I don't update right away because I am quite busy with work and I'm also on vacation right now but I try to update whenever I can. Thank you for reading and please stay tuned! The excitement should be coming in a few chapters or less. Thanks so much for the support and I hope you enjoy. X

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Wendy woke up in the middle of the night, needing a tall glass of water. She was surprised when she found a strange looking boy sleeping in the corner of her room. Before she could scream, the boy abruptly flashed his eyes open and dashed to her, almost as if he teleported. He was so fast and caught her before she could yelp, placing his cold hand right over her mouth to muffle her. She raised her hands to hold on to his large hand and tried to pull it away, but his force was too strong. Her eyes widened as he placed a finger to his lips, motioning her to be silent. It was then that she realized that the stranger in her bedroom was not just any kind of stranger – but an attractive one.

"Stay calm," Peter said, lowering his hand and nodding, assuring all was okay. They both looked around the same age although Peter was much taller than Wendy, standing alone in her night gown with this strange boy in the middle of the room. "I'm sorry to scare you. I'm not here to harm you. I was… watching you," he confessed.

"Watching me?" Wendy hissed in a whisper. "Well that's not creepy at all," she huffed, turning around before mocking Peter in a low voice. "_Oh hello there, total stranger, I didn't mean to freak you out – I was just watching you!_ Are you crazy?" she asked him. "Who the hell are you anyways?" she asked.

Peter gulped. "P-Peter. Peter Pan," he introduced.

"Well, _Peter Pan_," Wendy obnoxiously replied. "It's not very nice to barge in on people sleeping – let alone _watch _them! Didn't your mom ever tell you about that stuff?" she asked. "I'm sorry – okay – I just… I'm not a good person when I'm tired," Wendy folded her arms over her chest.

"It's okay," Peter blushed, looking down. "To be honest, I don't have a mother – or a father – or family. But I do have friends and I do have adventures," he smiled.

"The only friend you have is your dick," commented a squeaky voice.

"Shut up, Tinkerbell!" Peter angrily spanked the pocket of his pants. A little glow shone through the khaki thick cloth. Wendy's eyes went big, surprised. Peter looked at her and as if reading her mind, he brought out the little fairy. She gasped. "You can't tell anybody about this. You promise?" he asked. Wendy nodded.

"Where are you from?" asked Wendy.

"Neverland," Peter smiled. "Ever heard of it?" he asked.

Wendy shook her head. "Does that place even exist?"

"Yes," Peter placed two firm fists on his hips.

"I've seriously never heard of it. Norway?" she asked. Peter shook his head. "Argentina? Greenland? Canada?" she asked, listing a bunch of countries that she'd never been to. He kept on saying no. "Where, then?"

"The second star to the right – just past the moon," Peter said.

"Okay, you're on drugs or something and you need to leave," Wendy shook her head as she walked over to open the large window of her bedroom. She gestured to it, suggesting Peter should leave but he shook his head. He quickly dashed over and shut the window before taking both of her hands and leading her to the bed. They sat there together with her hands clasped in his.

"Let me take you there," he smiled. "Wendy," he said.

"How do you know my name?" she asked.

"I know the name of every beautiful girl in this town," he winked.

She blushed. "Charming, real charming, but I don't know if I can exactly trust a guy covered in ripped clothing who carries around little Tinkledust here and watches people sleep," she paused. "I mean – I don't even know who you are."

"I know your wishes," Peter rubbed the spot on the small of her chin. "Your dreams," he whispered right into her ear. She gulped from the tension between them that could have easily been cut with a knife. "I know you want to get away, Wendy," he spoke into her ear. She closed her eyes slowly. "And you can get away if you come with me – and you'll never have to listen to anybody else ever again. In Neverland, we're forever young. We're wild. We're _free_," he said.

And it was the word 'free' that sent Wendy's brain in a frenzy. Wendy backed away a little to look into Peter's eyes. "Deal," she gulped, afraid yet excited. "Can you at least give me a little while to get ready?" she asked.

"I'll come by again tomorrow night," Peter smiled. "But I beg you – only bring what you can carry with one arm," he winked before going out of the window and flying off into the night. Wendy stayed there and watched the strange boy disappear past the stars as she caressed her chin and the spot by her ear.


	4. The Second Star to the Right

**A/N: **Thank you so much to everyone following and giving the reviews. I'm so glad that you guys like where the story is going so far and I hope to update more often. We'll be meeting the Lost Boys soon. I can't wait for you guys to see what I have planned out for you all. Thank you so much for reading. xx

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The following night, Wendy was sitting at the foot of her bed with a bag at her foot. In it, she packed a hairbrush, her wallet, a bottle of water, a bag of make-up, and her can of pepper spray just in case. "Where do you think you're going?" asked John, quietly walking into her room. "Running away without me?"

"I-I um," Wendy rubbed her lips with her fingers. "I actually don't know."

"Are you okay?" asked John with some laughter in his voice, resting the palm of his hand over Wendy's forehead to check her temperature. "It doesn't matter. For as long as you're getting out of this place, I'm coming with," he smiled, slinging over a backpack from behind him. He unzipped it, showcasing that inside were a few canvases, some acrylic, water, and oil paints, a sketchbook, a few pens and pencils, and a box of…

"Condoms?" asked Wendy. "Really, John? You've never even had a girlfriend."

"Fuck you Wendy," John angrily adjusted the thick framed glasses that set under his dark hair. He zipped up the backpack and sat on the floor. "So when exactly, or where, are we going?" he asked curiously.

Wendy shrugged. "I don't actually know. But how did you know I was leaving? You were obviously prepared," her eyes widened as she gestured towards his loaded backpack. John laughed.

"Well Wends," he called her by her nickname. "I heard you talking to your mystery boy last night while I was going down for a snack. Not sure exactly who the guy is, but if it means getting out of here, I'm sorry but I need to tag along. It's kind of a must," he winked.

"Oh God, how embarrassing," Wendy shook her head, hiding her face in her hands.

"Nothing to be ashamed of," John smirked.

"Hello peasants," Michael greeted, walking into Wendy's bedroom wide awake with his game console in his hands once again. John and Wendy looked at Michael, sharing confused looks. "What are you looking at me like that for?" asked Michael, without even looking up from his video game.

"What exactly do you think you're doing? All packed and shit," John said, pointing at the drawstring bag that Michael had on his back.

"If I'm going to travel, I need to have my bare necessities – video games, cheese strings, and a Swiss Army knife," he replied with a smile.

"Since when the fuck have you had a Swiss Army knife?" asked John.

"Since I stole it from Dad," Michael gulped. "Just now."

"Are you serious?" John raised an eyebrow.

"Self defense – just in case, you know?" he said. John rolled his eyes. Suddenly, the trio heard a cheerful yell echo through the neighborhood. It was then that Wendy rushed to the window to find the stranger who fell asleep in her room last night, flying through the air.

"Oh, yeah – that's him by the way," Wendy said to John

"He flies?" asked John. Wendy nodded casually. "What is this – the fucking Cirque du Soleil?" he laughed. "Am I seeing this right?" he adjusted his glasses as Michael kept his game back in his bag and joined John to observe the flying being.

Peter soon landed right in front of Wendy's window. He looked at her with eyes filled with admiration as he knocked on the glass that separated them. Wendy opened the large window doors wide and Peter crept in, not even noticing her brothers. He held on to her shoulders and smiled with excitement. "I am so excited for you to meet everyone Wendy," he laughed. "I've told them all about you and how you just want to get away from this… this… what is this place?" he asked.

"New York," John coughed from behind him.

Peter turned around, surprised by the boys. "Who are you?" asked Peter.

"Wendy's brothers," John stuck out his hand, which Peter shook awkwardly. "I'm John. I'm seventeen," he introduced himself. "This is Givehead, he's fourteen."

"Actually, the name is Michael," Michael glared at John. "John's lying. He's actually a she, and her name is Da Rhonda," he said in a straight tone of voice. Wendy giggled lightly behind Peter as Peter raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"John is seventeen," Wendy assured. "Michael is fourteen. And I'm eighteen," Wendy told him. Peter nodded. "How old are you Peter?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know," Peter simply shrugged. "I stopped counting."

"You know, people normally stopped counting when they turn sixty – but I'm not going to judge you or anything. We're all friends here," John smiled. "Or at least acquainted."

"You look legal," Michael commented. "Are you legal?"

"What do you mean?" asked Peter.

"Can you get into bars and stuff?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know what a bar is."

"It's where people drink. Do you drink?"

"I do."

"So you can get into bars."

"I don't recall ever going into one," Peter confessed. "Do you drink?"

"I do," Michael nodded. Wendy, being the only sensible one there, looked down at Michael, ashamed that her little brother was already drinking at such a young age, and even more ashamed that Michael didn't tell her about it. And by the look on John's shocked face, he must've hid it form him, too.

"So um," Wendy cleared her throat. "John and Michael want to tag along too. I hope that's okay with you," Wendy said, resting a hand on Peter's shoulder. Peter smiled as he looked at the two boys.

"Well, the more the merrier!" Peter laughed. "I should warn you though, if you're afraid of heights I don't think you'd want to get to Neverland," Peter said, rubbing his bottom lip with his finger nervously.

"Why?" asked Wendy with a gulp. "I'm scared of heights."

"Then I'm not sure if you'd want to come," Peter clicked his tongue.

"Why?" she asked.

"Hello? The weirdo flies," Michael reminded.

"See, Givehead's got it _all_ figured out," Peter smiled, ruffling his hand through the patch of red hair that sat atop of Michael's head. John laughed wildly as Michael shot him a look.

"So… how exactly do we get there if _we_ can't fly?" asked Wendy.

"Well, I've got a little thing called pixie dust. I'm sure you've heard of it," Peter said, pulling out an angered Tinkerbell from his pocket. She was beaming in a red colour, furious and all. "It helps you to fly. Tink, why don't you dust them off?" he smiled.

Tinkerbell stomped her foot in the air and crossed her arms before looking away with an annoyed pout. "Tink," Peter insisted. She shook her head. "Excuse me," Peter said. He took Tink into his hands and walked to the corner of the room and placed her on a desk. "Listen here you little shit," Peter angrily said. "You're going to help these guys to fly because I've already promised the Lost Boys that we'll finally be able to have enough people to whoop Hook's ass. You can't just bail on me," he frowned. "Tink?" he asked, after not getting any reply. "Do it for me. Please," he whispered.

Tinkerbell suddenly gleamed yellow again. She nodded with a caring smile as she flew over to the siblings and fluttered her little fairy wings, coating each of them in a strange golden dust that suddenly made them float. Wendy squealed a little but once again, Peter was there in time to prevent her from screaming much further. "Don't let them hear you," Peter whispered. "Trust me," he said, lowering his hand down her shoulder, then her forearm, then her wrist, then to her hand. She looked at him in awe and surprise as he lead her slowly out the window. "Hold on to each other and Wendy, boys," Peter advised. "This is going to be… fast," he said.

And with that, the boys followed. Everyone was holding on to each other and soon enough, they were all screaming as they flew at the speed of light. It was then that they were up in the sky that the boys were laughing, but Wendy was practically shaking. "Don't be scared," Peter looked back at her, smiling. "And don't look down. Because if you're scared of heights and you're forcing yourself to look down from really high up," he laughed. "That's pretty fucked up."

"I'm sorry," Wendy blushed. "Where was it that you said you were from?" she asked.

"There," Peter pointed. "The second star to the right."


	5. Lost Boys

_**A/N:**_Thank you so much once again to everyone who has been favouriting, following, and reviewing The Lost and the Twisted. I hope you are all enjoying the story so far. I am introducing the Lost Boys in this chapter and will explain who is who at the end if you get confused. I'm basing the Lost Boys here off of the personalities of the originals, only with different names. And of course, like Peter, Wendy, John, and Michael, the Lost Boys are older than they originally are as I want the main concept of this adaptation to be more adult-like, dark, and of course 'lost' and 'twisted.' Thank you so much for the reads. To everyone who has sent reviews, I love you all so much. It really means a lot to me that you take the time to send me a message about my fanfic, and it really makes my day to know that you like it. X

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Wendy opened her eyes to the sound of screaming. Before her cheered six men. Some were young and others were old. "You scared her away Max," commented one of them, his hair platinum blonde and his skin dark as chocolate. He was talking to a young man beside him who looked identical.

"No, you scared her away, Jax," the twin argued.

"No you," Max snapped.

"Shut up Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee," rolled the eyes of a feistier one, one who looked the same age as Peter and Wendy. He had bushy, wavy blonde hair that was parted to one side and tattoos covering his muscular arms. A little soul patch of blonde fuzz sat at the edge of his chin. "Let's be honest and blame it on Eggs Benedict," he sneered, facing a round man sitting down and eating a roast chicken.

The chubby man had a shaved head and red eyebrows. His eyes were a glowing green and he was dressed head-to-toe in blue and white striped clothing. His underwear read the name 'Chaddie.' He wasn't the smartest of the Lost Boys, but he was certainly the most thoughtful. "I didn't mean to scare such a beautiful young lady," Chaddie blushed, being surprised. It was the first time he had really met a girl. "Don't be mad at me Seth," he pouted, looking over at the feisty one.

Seth sighed. "You may not have abs, but you do have a heart, dear Chaddie," Seth smiled. "Very good job welcoming this girl into our world with a fancy compliment. But girl, tell us – how did you fall from the sky?" Seth asked.

"Yes, tell us," said another boy, his smile growing wide with curiosity. He had scars all over his body and a few on his cheeks. He had long, curly black hair and skin tan like creamed coffee. He had big, brown eyes and a scrawny physique. He was known as the bravest, and his name was Tarik. "Was it a daring adventure? Did you fly? Did you get shot?" he asked.

The youngest of the boys, yet the bravest, who sat beside Seth, started to run his hands over Wendy's body with no fear, searching for an arrow or even a bullet. "I don't think she's been hit," he shook his head. His spiked hazelnut-shaded hair made way to his chiseled face. He was the scrawniest, but the tallest.

"Well at least ask her," Chaddie pushed the boy off of Wendy roughly. "You're going to freak her out. You didn't even introduce yourself and you're already touching her in all these places," he said.

Wendy gulped. "Well then in that case," the youngest cleared his throat. "My name is Nico," he smiled. "I'm sorry to have scared you away, Miss Girl. I really didn't mean to," he licked his lips as he eyed her chest. "I didn't mean to offend you – or do anything wrong."

"Eyes off," Seth smacked him on the shoulder. "Please bear with him. He's the bravest and certainly the most… I guess you could say… _outgoing_," his eyes narrowed. "My name is Seth. Leader of the pack you could say," he stuck out his hand for a shake.

"Leader of the pack?" asked Max.

"Said who?" questioned Jax.

"Said Peter," Seth folded his arms. "He says that every time he heads off."

"Whatever," the twins said in unison. "I'm Max," Max introduced.

"And I'm Jax," Jax smiled.

"I'm older," Max said proudly.

"No, I am!" Jax argued. The two of them bickered in the background.

"Chaddie," the round one smiled.

"And what is your name?" smiled Seth.

"It's Girl," Chaddie looked at Seth, confused.

"A _girl _is a type of person, numbnuts. That's not a name," Seth shook his head.

"Wendy," she smiled with a blush. "Wendy Darling is my full name – but you can just call me Wendy," she added. They all smiled at her and in awe, said 'Wendy' back in unison. They were so blown away by her beauty. And it wasn't just because Wendy was already beautiful, but like Chaddie, none of the boys had ever seen a girl other than Tinkerbell (who really didn't count because she stood three inches tall) until they met Wendy.

"How did you get here?" asked Seth.

"Through me," Peter smirked, dusting his hands on his capris as he walked out from behind a tree. "Wendy, these are the Lost Boys. They're my mighty friends and companions," he smiled. "They're all very strange at first, I know, but once you get used to their existence it isn't all half that bad," he explained. All of them smiled but then their smiles began to fade as soon as they processed what Peter had just said about them. "Boys," Peter stiffened up, standing erect. "Let us show Wendy where we feast and where we sleep!"

"Peter," Wendy lightly brushed her hand against Peter's arm, causing all of the Lost Boys to frenzy inside. "John. Michael," she reminded. Peter nodded.

"Bring them," he turned around to find John and Michael still face-flat plummeted into the ground. Wendy ran over and shook them awake. The brothers followed her as she followed Peter, who followed the Lost Boys, to their supposed home.

It was hidden underground. The area was quite big, but wasn't much. All of the things in their home were made from animals and other natural resources. The chairs were made of wood and animal hide, the beddings were made from fur and leaves, and the cups were flowers shaped into bowls. There was a curtain made of a burgundy silk that blocked an archway. "That's a very nice fabric," Wendy commented.

"It leads to my own chamber," Peter smiled.

"May I see?" she asked.

"No," Peter laughed. "It's my secret. And it will always be my secret."

"Well, that's no fun."

"That's the thing with secrets," he scoffed. He quickly leaned in to press his lips by Wendy's ear. "Nobody's supposed to know," he whispered, his hot breath on her neck.

"I'm John," John waved as he started to unpack his backpack.

"Michael," Michael pulled out his gaming system from his drawstring bag and went back to his game.

"What's that?" asked Seth curiously.

"Nothing," Michael replied.

"Michael, you shouldn't waste all your time on that. I don't think they have outlets here," John commented. The two siblings continued to argue as the Lost Boys started preparing a feast for their new friends.

Time passed by and soon enough, it was supper. The Lost Boys made for them roast chicken, tree bark stew, and sliced mango for dessert. All the water was served in the flower cups, which gave a distinctive herbal taste to the water. It almost tasted like cold tea. "How did you meet Peter guys?" asked Nico.

"To be honest," Wendy cringed her eyebrows. "I woke up and he was sleeping in the corner of my bedroom. And that's how we met. I met Tinkledust too," she smiled.

"It's Tinker_bell_," Peter corrected as he took a messy bite out of his chicken drumstick.

"Right," Wendy blushed. "I met Tinkerbell."

"You don't happen to know about Hook, do you?" asked Seth.

"Hook? Who's that?" asked John.

"Only our arch nemesis," Seth rolled his eyes.

"Tell us more about him," Michael said, finally keeping his game and focusing on the dinner that the boys prepared.

"Well," Seth took a deep breath. "Peter, why don't you explain?" he asked.

Peter sighed. "It all started nine years ago. I was eleven," he began.

* * *

_**LOST BOYS GUIDE:**_If anybody was wondering who the Lost Boys here are based off of, or if you don't know the original Lost Boys and their personalities, I will just list them all here.

_Tootles: _Tootles in the original is the humble, brave, and shows care for Wendy. Tootles is supposed to be clumsy and silly, and we will learn more about this character as the story progresses. Tootles' character is represented through **Tarik**.

_Nibs: _Nibs in the original is joyful and the bravest of the Lost Boys. Nibs is represented through **Nico**.

_Slightly: _Slightly is the most mature of the boys and is a talented musician. He believes he remembers what his life was like before he was lost. In my adaptation, Slightly is called **Seth**.

_Curly/Cubby:_ Curly, or Cubby, is loveable but not very smart. He is shy but has a kind heart. Curly/Cubby is played by **Chaddie**.

_The Twins: _The twins have never really had much to explain about them but in my adaptation, I decided to make them argue often. The twins are portrayed by **Max** and **Jax**.

* * *

Thank you once again to everyone reading! See you again in the next chapter soon. X


	6. Our Favourite Distraction

"Captain!" Smee barged in through the office door. "Captain, Captain, Captain! There is news! News about Peter! Peter and his new friends! Peter! We have news about Peter! We've seen Peter! Peter! And his new friends! Peter and his new friends! Peter! News! Peter!" he exclaimed.

Hook massaged the spot above his thick eyebrows. "Gee, I wonder what else is new. News about Peter?" he asked. Smee nodded feverishly. "Well I wonder, I would have no idea since you just blurted that out ninety times," he rolled his eyes. "What's the little bastard up to now?" he asked, scraping a part of his desk off with his hook.

"He's arrived with a girl," Smee gulped. "And two boys. And they're with the Lost Boys. And they're all together. And… oh my," he started biting his nails. "Oh my. I think… I think Pan might be forming an army," his teeth chattered.

"Don't you fucking even consider that we won't stand a chance against Pan," Hook stormed up to him and grabbed him by the collar with his hook. "Because you know for a fact that we will win. And you know why, Smee?" he asked, caressing Smee's neck with the sharpest point of his hook. "Because I _always _win," he sneered. "Always."

Smee's gulp could be felt by Hook's metal through his tight neck skin. "Well… well, what do you suppose we do, Captain?" asked Smee.

"Send out our favourite distraction," Hook smiled.

"You don't mean…?"

"I do," Hook grinned evilly. Smee gulped once more. "On it, boy!" he demanded.

Smee nodded as he quickly stormed out of the office, slamming the door hard behind him. "Watch it with the door!" Hook angrily called out. "That is _mahogany_!"

* * *

_**A/N:**_I know this is a short one but I hope you guys liked the Hunger Games reference. Haha. I'm sorry this is so short but I didn't know how else to continue from here, but yay! Two chapters came up today! I'm working on the next ones now. Thank you once again for reading. X


	7. Curves of a Vase

John woke up on the bear-fur rug on the floor of the Lost Boys' home. He rubbed his eyes and adjusted his glasses before getting up and helping himself to some water and leftover chicken. "Good morning to you," Nico greeted, his dirty feet resting up on the table. Nico was carving a squirrel out of a chunk of wood.

"You into art?" asked John, sitting on the wooden chair beside Nico.

Nico nodded. "Yes. And yourself?" he asked.

"Yeah," John got back up and reached into his backpack to bring out a few paintings. "Always have been. I love to paint and I love to sketch. It helps me to stay positive, especially after being through a lot. It's a nice way to get away, you know?"

Nico nodded again. "That's true. I don't think I've ever tried painting before."

John handed him some spare painting supplies that he packed. "I could teach you to paint if you could teach me how to carve," he pointed at the beautiful squirrel that Nico had just finished. It was intricately detailed and could look realistic from afar. Nico was an excellent carver.

"For sure man," Nico smiled. "Seth and I are going to leave in a few to go hunt for food. Do you want to come with us?" asked Nico. John shook his head. He may have wanted to finally have friends, but he knew he was a little cowardly. "Alright," Nico sighed. "Suit yourself. I'll see you later."

Nico left and took off with Seth, the both of them on their way to look for animals to kill and turn into stews. Wendy, Peter, Michael and Chaddie were still asleep, and the twins were nowhere to be found. John walked over to Wendy, asleep in a hammock, and started to lightly shake her. "Wendy, wake up," John whispered. "Wendy," he tried again, but she was so sound asleep and so peaceful. John smiled. He had always loved his older sister, for when he had nobody to run to, she was always there to not only comfort him, but to simply just listen.

John took his backpack and left home and started walking around a forest. He was trying to look for more things he could experiment with for art. He knew that at some point, he, Wendy and Michael would probably return home, and he didn't want just any ordinary souvenir of his journey. He wanted something he could make to remind himself of the experience he had in the faraway place called Neverland.

Upon picking wild flowers and tropical fruits, John finally found something plain, but extravagant. Lying before him in the middle of the vast forest was a wooden flute. The wood was bleached in colour and it was simple. There were no detailed carvings like that Nico would make, and there was hardly any other colour aside from the dirt from the soil that covered it. John picked it up and tried to smuggle it into his bag, when just then, he was stopped. "Hey, that's mine!" called out a voice. John turned around to find the source of the voice, and he was surprised.

Standing before him was a beautiful young lady. She was smaller than he was, but her long legs could fool anyone into thinking she was tall. Her skin was a honey tan and she had long, black straight hair that split in the middle of her head and framed her sultry face. Her hair ended right over her chest, covered in nothing but a fringed bandeau that was a few shades lighter than her skin tone. She wore underneath a matching fringed thong that covered all he right places, but gave way to her smooth, hairless thighs. She had on boots from some type of animal hide that were cropped to her shins. She wore a braided leather headband that went around her forehead and hidden in her hair on one side, came beautiful feathers twisting in braids in her ebony locks.

"That is my father's flute," she spoke, her hands on her hips. She had a strong kind of accent. John had never heard it before. He stood there speechless, amazed by the beautiful girl who stood before him.

"I-I… I'm sorry. I didn't think anybody still needed it. When things are covered in dirt, they're normally forgotten," John adjusted his glasses again as he walked towards the girl. They stood in front of each other in contrast. John, pale as snow, stood with his dark hair and black clothing, which covered the majority of his body. The girl, tanned, stood before him with hardly any clothing on and red and white tribal paint coating her face and her body.

"Covered in dirt and forgotten?" she spat, offended. "That is like what they say about one who dies," she frowned. "One may die and may be covered in dirt, but certainly they are not forgotten. They are only lost," she snatched the flute back out from John's hands. "And that is exactly what happened to my father's flute. It became lost."

"I am sorry. You can have it back. I never meant to offend you. I'm sorry. Your father deserves it back. It looks wonderful. Plain, but wonderful," John shook his head as he started to walk away from the stranger.

"Plain?" asked the young woman. "You think this is plain? This is beautiful. It creates art. It sounds like a song of a thousand hummingbirds," she argued. "Why would you say that this is plain?"

"There's no colour," John turned back around. "You should paint it. Like how you've painted your body. You – you… You are already a very beautiful girl," he gulped. "But with the paint on your skin, it enhances your beauty to something almost God-like. And that's what you should do with that flute. It's beautiful, but with some colour on it, it could be so much more," he explained.

The girl, interested, walked over to John with the flute and handed it over to him. "I am sorry for arguing," she batted her long, black eyelashes, perfectly curled and all. "Please show me how I can make this more beautiful. Then maybe when I bring it back, my father will forgive me for losing it," she smiled.

"Of course," John nodded as he sat down and took the flute. He pulled out some paint supplies from his bag and started to design the flute. "See? With a little bit of white, red, green, orange, yellow," he mumbled. He finished painting the flute.

"It's beautiful," she complimented. He nodded and the two of them looked deep into each other's eyes. She started to lightly caress his fingers, coated in paint. "You are a beautiful boy," she gulped. "What is your name?" she asked.

"My name… my name," he looked away awkwardly, forgetting exactly who he was. "I know my name," he fake laughed. "I just… don't remember it," he scratched the back of his head. "I'm normally never this nervous, but it's just that I've never seen a girl as beautiful as you," he bit his lip.

She giggled. "I like you, Boy-who-does-not-remember-his-name," she smiled.

"I remember it _now_," he smirked. "My name is John."

"Hello John," she smiled again. "It is very nice to meet you."

"Likewise," John smiled back. "What about you? What's your name?"

"Tigerlily."


	8. Greener Than the Dress

**A/N:** Hi! I'm sorry it's been a while since I've last posted a chapter. I've been really busy lately with work and haven't gotten around to writing much but I hope that making longer chapters will make up for it. Thank you so much for the follows, favourites and the reviews. It keeps me inspired to keep on writing because of my readers. Thank you so much and stay tuned! I have a lot in store for you. X

* * *

"Hey," Peter greeted, walking into the living room of his home. Wendy was brushing her hair in front of a small compact mirror she had packed, that she placed on a table before her. Peter gave her a little wave as he stretched his arms and tiredly sat down beside the beautiful girl.

"Hi," Wendy greeted back. "Did you sleep okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Thanks. How about you?" he replied.

"It was good, thank you," she smiled back before returning her focus to brushing through her wavy hair. "Thank you for being quite hospitable to my brothers and I. We can leave in a few days if you want," she suggested.

Peter shook his head. "Stay as long as you feel you need to," he whispered. "When you're in Neverland, you can do anything you want. There are no restrictions here," he snickered. A little smile crept to her face, but she tried her best to control it from getting nay larger. "You know, I was thinking… Since you are here, and Michael's been busy with his things, and Nico said John was out, how about I give you a tour?" he asked.

"A tour of what?" asked Wendy, slightly confused.

Peter stood up and started to walk to the kitchen. He prepared a quick salad made of the finest greens, drizzled with honey and lemon. He as well prepared two lily cups of water for both he and Wendy. "Neverland," he smiled, walking back to her and giving her a cup of water and the salad. She mouthed a 'thank you' as she gladly took the bowl and cup from him and started to eat right away.

"Well that would be very nice Peter," Wendy smiled. "That's very thoughtful of you."

Peter smiled back. "Only want the best for my guests," he laughed. "I'm going to get ready. We can leave as soon as you're done. Is that okay?" he asked. Wendy nodded eagerly. "Great. I'll see you again in a few minutes," he yawned as he ruffled his hands through his messy, shaggy hair, and walked back towards his private room.

When Peter returned, Wendy was all set to go. She placed her natural glossy waves to one side and they fell just over her chest. She had taken quite an interest in the handsome boy and would do anything to get his attention. He didn't compliment her at all, but instead escorted her out of his home. They were walking on the white sand of a beach when he simply asked, "What is it that you do?"

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" she replied.

"Well, where you come from. What do you do?" Peter smiled.

"Me?" Wendy asked, pointing at herself. Peter nodded. "I like to write stories. I like writing about adventures and romances and dramas and all of that kind of stuff," she smiled. Peter smiled back, reacting to how passionate she sounded as she went on and on about all the different projects she's written. "And the most beautiful point of the day to write is when I'm sitting at my desk and the sun shoots through my window and hits a spot by my side. It gives off the most elegant light and it makes me think of a lot of things. It makes me think of characters and plots, quirks, lines, everything," she went on. "And when I'm not writing, I like to be with my brothers because they make me forget that I'm growing up. I hate how old I've gotten," she frowned.

"And how old are you?" Peter asked.

"Well Peter, I've just turned eighteen not too long ago," Wendy said. "And my mom's already starting to hint out that she wants me married. Married! Can you believe that? My mom wants me – an eighteen year old – to already get married! Some parents don't even let their kids go on a _date_ until they're eighteen," Wendy rolled her eyes.

"Married? That's strange," Peter laughed. "And a date? What's that?"

"A date is kind of… when two people, usually a boy and a girl, but it can be a girl and a girl or a boy and a boy too, go out somewhere and talk. And usually, a date only happens in the case when these two people really like each other. And they get to know each other. And most of the time, they go out for food or watch something," she smiled. "How old are you Peter?" she asked.

"I don't remember," he shook his head. "But anyways… would that mean that we're on a date?" he asked. Wendy gulped as they stopped in the center of the beach, him gazing down on her. She held in all of her urge to kiss him as she stood there in silence. "Wendy?" he asked again.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry," she blushed, turning her head away shyly from being so embarrassed. "Well Peter, I don't know. Like I said, dates happen to people who really like each other," she looked back up at him, bashful eyes peeping up at his.

"Well I do like you," Peter smiled, as he started to lean in towards her. His lips were just before her cheek when he whispered, "I'm just not sure how much."

Peter walked away gleefully as Wendy stood there in shock. She followed after him and started changing topics to avoid the awkwardness between them both. "Ever seen a movie?" she asked.

"No. What's that?" asked Peter as Wendy started to explain to him what exactly a movie was. In the distance was a furious Tinkerbell, standing on the branch of a tree and stomping her foot.

"_Ooh, Peter – have you seen a movie? Ooh, Peter – let's go on a date! Ooh, Peter – I'm going to be a nasty bitch and steal you away!_" Tinkerbell mocked Wendy in a high pitched voice with a distinctive English accent. She reverted back to her American one as she lifted her head and stuck her nose in the air. "I'll show her," she shook her head.

Tinkerbell took off, flying swifter than ever as she made her way to a busy Tarik, sharpening arrows on a log in the middle of a damp forest. "Tarik, Tarik, Tarik!" Tinkerbell called out. "I found food for us!" she buzzed around him, darting from his left side to his right side, getting him a little dizzy.

"Calm down, Tink, I'm just finishing up these arrows. What is it?" Tarik asked.

"It's a deer," Tinkerbell smiled. "It's headed for the beach. I saw it with Peter," Tinkerbell smirked, her red lips sinister yet seductive. "It's got reddish fur. Look, it's over there! Look!" she pointed, directing Tarik's sight towards a gap between a few bushes, where they both saw Wendy's red hair being blown by the wind.

"That deer has long hair Tinkerbell," Tarik said, preparing his tools.

Tinkerbell laughed. "Well, I guess it's a rare one. Imagine how it tastes if it's so rare," she whispered. Tarik nodded as he prepared his bow and arrow. He prepared himself and suddenly shot it, only to have a scream follow.

"What was that?!" asked Tarik in a fuss, hurriedly rushing over to the scene to find a bloodied Wendy by the water. Peter rushed to her side and pulled the arrow out of Wendy's thigh.

"Wendy, are you okay?!" Peter asked, taking a handkerchief from his back pocket and wrapping it tightly around Wendy's thigh. "What happened?" he added.

"I don't know! This arrow just came flying out of nowhere and I got hit," Wendy explained as she limped her way back to her feet. She wrapped her arm around Peter's neck as he scooped her up bridal style, afraid she wouldn't be able to even walk.

"Tarik! What are you doing with that bow and arrow?" asked Peter, noticing him right away. "First of all, your aim is terrible! Second, why would you even hit Wendy? She's our friend," Peter rolled his eyes.

"Tink made me do it – she said it was a deer. I didn't know, Peter. I'm sorry. Kill me. I deserve to be punished," Tarik looked down, kneeling before him.

"I will not kill you Tarik," Peter shook his head. "But as for you, Tinkerbell," he pointed right at her. "I'm very disappointed in you. Why would you even try to hurt her?" he asked.

"Really?" asked Tinkerbell. "Are you really going to ask me that question? I've been with you for how many years, Peter? I know you more than you know yourself and you dare to hang out with this… this bitch!" she argued. "Why would you replace me?" she asked, tones of sadness clothing her voice.

"Replace you?" Peter asked as Wendy and Tarik looked at each other. Wendy easily forgave Tarik, for it was an accident caused upon Tinkerbell's intentions, but the both of them hated being in the middle of an argument. "I never even thought for a second of replacing you Tinkerbell, but you know what? Maybe I should. Maybe I don't need you," Peter said. "You're calling her a bitch and yet you're the one out to kill everyone. You're so full of shit, Tinkerbell."

"Oh, shut up! You're the one who's full of shit. Do you even hear what you're saying? You've known this girl for only a few days and you're not even concerned if she could even be working with Hook?" asked Tinkerbell, crossing her arms.

"I've known her longer than you think," Peter's eyes narrowed. Wendy gulped, nervous with that line. "And you know what else I know? I can make you disappear," his eyes darkened. "All I have to do is say it. I don't believe in f–"

Tinkerbell cut him off. "Don't you fucking say it, you bastard!" she screamed, tears running down her face. "Peter, please! Anything but that!"

"Anything?" asked Peter. Tinkerbell nodded, pouting. "I don't want you to be around Wendy anymore. Let alone be around Tarik, or the boys, or John, or Michael," he paused. "Or me. Get away from here Tink," Peter's eyes went an unnatural golden colour as he whispered, "I don't need you anymore."

And with that, Tinkerbell flew off suddenly, trails of pixie dust falling from her as she left. "What now?" asked Tarik.

"You – I want you to work on your aim," Peter laughed. "And you," he looked down into Wendy's eyes. "Well, let's get you home. You need to rest," he said as he carried her. Tarik joined, the three of them heading back home.


	9. Lovedust

_**A/N:**_Thank you so much to those following, favouriting, and reviewing despite the fact that I haven't updated in a while. I think it's been a few weeks since my last update but I haven't forgotten about this fanfic at all, nor have I forgotten about my wonderful and supportive readers! Thank you so much all. Hope you're liking the story so far. X

* * *

"Feeling better?" asked Chaddie, walking over to Wendy with hot tea and soup. Wendy nodded as she took the tea from him.

"Yes, thank you. Thank you for taking care of me," she smiled.

"I try," Chaddie blushed. "I hope you get well soon Miss Wendy. Peter's out looking for some medicine for you so I hope that will do. Try to get some sleep, yeah?" he asked. Wendy nodded as she rested her head down and started to rest. She was so fatigued that she started sleeping and snoring right away. "Oh dear," Chaddie sighed. "We've got a Code Red," he shook his head, clicking his tongue.

"What's that?" asked Nico, carving away more and more creatures in the corner of the room.

"What if she dies?" asked Chaddie. "She's been bleeding."

"Yeah, but the blood's clotted," Michael shook his head, playing his games in the corner. "Fuck, I'm about to run out of battery."

"Michael, language," John called out from the table, painting away a man in shades of gray, blue, and black. Michael rolled his eyes before focusing back on his game. "If the blood's already clotted Chaddie, I don't think there's much to worry about. Besides, you said Peter knows where to get all these remedies. I won't be too worried," John looked up at him before adjusting his glasses. "And this is my sister we're worrying about. I'm not worried. So don't worry. I know Wendy. She'll be fine," he smiled.

"Okay," Chaddie said. "Well in that case," he patted his belly. "I'm going to go out and look for food. Tarik? Wanna come practice your aim?" he asked. The twins Max and Jax raised their hands and followed Tarik and Chaddie outside to go hunting.

"So John, tell me about yourself," Seth said, sitting across from him at the table as he dug into a plate of barbecue duck. "What do you do with your life? Do you do anything with your life? What are you painting? Is that duck? I do quite like duck."

John laughed. "I'm seventeen. I like to paint. Do art and stuff. I'm painting… I'm not sure what I'm painting. Abstract stuff," he gulped. "Some guy. Some… angst-ridden guy," he chuckled under his breath. "Shit," he cursed as he accidentally spilled some black paint all over the man's face.

"Well, it surely looks abstract, yes it does," Seth commented. "You're a talented artist, John. You keep up the good work, yeah?" he asked. John nodded as Seth took a bottle of rum from his side and walked outside. Nico beckoned John over.

John sat by Nico, watching his friend as he continued to carve. "Hey man," Nico greeted. "I uh, you know… we're friends, right?" he asked.

John looked up at the sound of the word 'friends.' He's never really had friends before and the fact that this boy he only met a few days ago was insisting that they were friends, made John the happiest boy in the world. "Y-yeah," he stuttered nervously. "Why?" he asked.

Nico bent over and looked around, making sure Michael couldn't hear and making sure that Wendy was as sound asleep as she seemed. "Look bro, I know it's kind of wrong – you being my friend and all – but I… I was wondering if it was okay with you if I um… I really like your sister," Nico gulped.

"What?" John whispered, his face shocked. He held back his laughter. "Ew, why? That's like committing suicide. I know Wendy's great but she's a handful," John shook his head.

"Yeah but," Nico bit his lip. "She's so hot. Man, do you think if I touched her boob while she was sleeping, she'd notice?" he asked, about to get up. John pushed him back down.

"Oh fuck, enough of that!" John laughed. "You're so sick."

The two of them sat there laughing for a while. "I'm glad I met you John," Nico laughed. "Being the youngest in the batch of boys here is kind of awkward. I'm only sixteen," Nico explained. "And I tried to befriend your brother but I um, I don't think he enjoyed my company," his eyes scoped the room slowly and stopped at Michael, screaming 'die, die, die!' as he continued playing his video games.

"Don't worry," John laughed. "Michael doesn't actually like to socialize with the outside world much. If he's not playing video games he's taking a shit, so that doesn't leave much time for him to actually do anything productive," he paused. "Other than… taking a shit."

Nico laughed. "You're alright, John."

"You too. You know, I'm going to be honest with you. You're my first friend who isn't forced to like me because you're my sister or my brother," John confessed. "It's nice to have friends, you know?" he smiled.

"You're my first friend who's sane. Unlike the other shitheads I need to live with and tolerate," Nico laughed. "But yeah. I'm sorry man about having a crush on your sister. If it's not cool with you, it's cool with me. I can move on. I'm like a feather. I can float away."

"Yeah," John shook his head, laughing lightly. "Don't do that man, it's weird. Please," he laughed. Nico nodded as he engulfed John into a friendly hug. "So where were you the other day? I was looking for you and was wondering if you wanted to collaborate on some art stuff," Nico suggested.

"I met a girl," John blushed, reaching into his backpack to start sketching. "What was it that you wanted to collaborate on?"

"Don't change the topic," Nico laughed. "What's her name?" he asked.

"Tigerlily," John blushed.

"Aw shit!" Nico burst out into a hyena-like laughter. "Tigerlily? You're not serious, are you?" he asked.

"No, I am," John raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he added.

Nico shrugged. "I don't know. I know Seth knew her a while back and he said that it was kind of scary to be with her. He broke it off because her dad's the leader of this crazy ass tribe. They're really strong and I heard that they'll burn you alive if you do anything wrong to them – especially her. After all John, Tigerlily is a princess," Nico explained.

John gulped. "A princess?" he asked. Nico nodded.

"But by all means if you like her, go for it. Just don't say I didn't warn you," Nico set down his woodwork and patted John twice on the back before picking up an apple and walking outside. John shrugged.

Looking for things to inspire him for paintings, John ventured to the outside world once again. He was walking in a forest looking for more mystical creatures like Tinkerbell, when he ran into his tan beauty once again. "Hello John," she smirked.

"T-Tigerlily," he stuttered, dropping his bag and causing all of his paintings to come out. She rushed on over to help him, picking up what he had dropped and placing them back in his backpack. "I didn't think you'd be here," he said.

"Well no need to sound so panicked," she laughed. As she continued helping him gather his paintings again, she saw a few sketches and watercolour tainted papers that stood out. They were mostly black and some had red on them. A lot of them were violent. "You're very talented John," she said before looking him in the eye. "But you seem broken," she added.

"What do you mean by _broken_?" asked John, confused.

"These paintings," her slender fingers traced the artwork. There were doodles of people screaming and others of ones crying blood. Some of them had no eyes and others were just dark and depressing to look at. "Paintings are inspired by the lives of those who paint them. Why are these paintings so… so… dark?" she struggled to find a word at first, not being so good with English (though still learning), but eventually found the perfect word to describe his art.

John shook his head as he shoved them straight into his back. "You don't need to know."

"I do," Tigerlily insisted. "John, what is wrong?" he asked.

John paused and gulped. He looked back into Tigerlily's eyes. "I used to be depressed," he began. She mouthed a little 'why,' which triggered him to explain further. "Tigerlily, when I was little I never had friends. It started off being the fact that I was born with the poorest eyesight in the entire world. I was a blind-ass bat with buckteeth and bones jotting out my sides. Sixth year came along and I started wearing braces. '_Four eyes, four eyes_' they'd yell at me, and the second that the metal sat on my teeth, they mocked me because of the train tracks in my mouth and probably hoped I would be stuck on one to die. High school came along and I grew out my hair, dyed it so dark it was almost black, and I experimented with it too. I made it go every colour of the rainbow: green, pink, blue, purple. And because of my fascination with the colours of the rainbow, they confused it for my home. '_Gay,'_ they would then call me, and though I had no problem with gays I walked in hallways full of homophobes, who'd beat me up every day after school. At home I'd try to pour out my feelings to my parents, but all they ever told me was to be more like Wendy, the perfect child. She's wonderful, yes, but sometimes it causes me misery. It causes me misery to think that my parents care more about her than me. And even if Michael slacks off, they care about him too because he's the youngest. Nobody ever listens to me. I've been neglected for far too long and it's even gotten to the point that Wendy would have to take the knife away from me, or take the guns I had in my room and sell them to a pawn shop, or hide the ropes and scarves and belts in the house so that I would never find them," he explained. Tigerlily could only understand so little, but she still felt the hurt in every word that he pronounced.

"John, I am so sorry," Tigerlily reached for his hand, holding it in hers. "But you know what, John?" she asked. "You're a very brave man for going through all of that. I'm glad you're alive because then I wouldn't have met you," she smiled. He smiled back at her, and for a moment, there was only silence. But just because there was silence, didn't mean they couldn't connect. Their eyes connected them in a way that words never could. Tigerlily shifted a little before nervously asking him, "have you ever had pixie dust?"

"Only to get here," John laughed. "Tinkerbell – Peter's little bombshell – she sprinkled some on me and my siblings so we could fly ourselves here," he smiled. Tigerlily smiled back as she pulled out a tiny vial of pixie dust from her back pocket.

"Watch," she said. She set down the vial of pixie dust and ringed out a little lighter from her back pocket. She lit the flame just under the glass bottom of the vial and the pixie dust didn't burn, but gave off a gentle golden smoke. "Follow me," she said as she inhaled some of the smoke. John did just the same, eyes closed.

When he opened his eyes again, his irises became golden yellow and his pupils dilated. Her eyes were just the same. She smiled at him. "Pixie dust helps those to forget," she explained. "Have you forgotten?"

"I'm getting there," John laughed. The two of them took another breath of the pixie dust before Tigerlily closed the vial and placed that and her lighter back in her back pocket. She held out her hand for John as she stood up, and he gladly took it, lacing his fingers with hers. "What now?" he asked.

"We forget," Tigerlily said as she gracefully floated with John, the two of them mid-air. They flew together over the seas and lay on their backs in the sky as they saw hallucinations of colourful birds and John's paintings coming to life.

John turned to her as they lay on the clouds they were fooled to think were pink, and said, "thank you."

"For what?" asked Tigerlily.

"I've forgotten."


	10. Paint Me

_**A/N:**_ Hello, everyone. Long time, no talk/no write. I'm sorry it's been forever but as some of you may know, I am back in school again and plus I'm working more so there hasn't been much time to write. I will, however, promise that this fanfic _will _be finished no matter what. I know this upcoming chapter is going to be a little short, but I will make it up to you. The others will be longer and I will try to update every week to every other week if I can. Thank you so much for still reading, reviewing, and supporting me and this fanfic despite my tardiness. Hope you're all liking the story so far. Can't wait for you guys to see what I have in store for you. Thank you for reading! X

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A little while later, John and Tigerlily found themselves on the top of a very high valley, mountainous and covered in the grassiest terrain. They lay on the lime green blades of greenery as they stared up at the night sky, glittering with its stars and enrobed by the clouds. By then, the effect of the pixie dust had faded off, but Tigerlily still had some in her back pocket. "So did you ever stand up to those guys?" she asked him.

John shook his head. "I've kind of always just been afraid," he sighed. "As big pricks as they are, I've always been a pussy. I've never rounded up the courage to tell them to fuck off. Which is unfortunate, because I'm a smart guy," he laughed. "I think I'd be able to come up with witty comebacks if I tried."

"Shame you never stood up to them," Tigerlily sat up as she reached back into John's backpack and flipped through his sketchbook, still loaded with depressing and violent art. "Do you ever doodle anything happy, John?" she joked lightly.

John shook his head. "I love my sister and I love my brother. I love my dad even if he always yells at me and my mom even if she's a pain in the ass. And now that I've got a friend – Nico – I love the fact that I have those too. Sometimes I make nice things, but for them. I made a painting of mermaids for Wendy's eighteenth birthday. She's always loved creatures like that," he smiled.

"Oh yes – mermaids," Tigerlily smiled. "I'm friends with many of those. So you do things for people to make them smile, yet you don't try to make yourself smile at all. Why is that, John?" she asked.

"I'm pathetic," John looked down.

"You're not going to be pathetic if you don't make yourself pathetic," she held his hand. After a moment of silence, Tigerlily nervously asked him a question. "Do you still do things for people like what you did for Wendy? Like artwork?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?" John looked at her as she started building a fire out of some firewood nearby. She turned around as the campfire light brought glow to her features. "Will you make a painting for me? Will you paint me?" she asked.

"Um, sure," John said, adjusting his glasses quickly before digging into his bag to bring out paint. "Let me just find a canvas," he paused before looking up and gasping, Tigerlily interrupting his thoughts.

"Let me be your canvas," Tigerlily smiled as she dropped her attire to the ground and stood before him, bare. She crawled towards him, as the fire that they had set up earlier shaded her skin in hues of orange, taupe, black, and gold. Her hair just covered her chest. She finally sat before him as he stood there with his jaw dropped and a paintbrush in his hand. She took the red paint from his bag and squirted a little bead of the acrylic liquid on her fingertip before drawing a line down from her chest to stomach. "So tell me John, will you paint me?" she asked again, and with that, John leaned in for a kiss. The rest of the night went on with him not painting Tigerlily with colours, but with his own sweat, and she did the same.


	11. Waterworks

**A/N:** As promised, I'm going to try and make the chapters longer to make up for me not being on as much. Hope you guys are liking it so far. Thank you so much for all your kind reviews, favourites, and follows. X

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The following morning, Wendy woke up to the scent of a floral tea and beef-broth stew. She massaged her thigh to soothe the pain as she yawned, waking up on her makeshift bed that she set on the floor. "How's your leg?" asked Peter, walking out from his room with hair messy in stiff waves. He had just woken up as well, and to Wendy, he looked like an absolute Greek god. Every time she saw him in the morning, she completely lost her mind. It was something about him that stood out to her. Although she hardly knew him, it was something in his eyes and the way he walked, that made her feel like he was somebody worth fighting for.

"My leg is fine, thank you," Wendy shyly replied. "How was your sleep?" she asked again, as if it was routine to ask everyone that exact question. That was exactly what her family loved about her. It was the way how she was always caring towards others and how she was thoughtful.

"It was okay," Peter smiled as he walked over to the kitchen to get two bowls of soup and two cups of tea from Nico and Seth, who were hastily preparing breakfast for everyone. He sat in front of her as he handed over her servings.

"Has anybody seen John?" asked Nico.

"Yeah, I'm worried. He didn't come home last night," Seth added.

"No sorry," Wendy shrugged. "It's alright, John does that a lot. Trust me," she smirked. "I think he'll be fine," she added as she took the soup and tea from Peter's hands. "Thank you."

"You know, sometimes I get worried about John. He's so young and he doesn't even know what's out for him," Seth's low Scottish accent quivered as he ruffled his hands through his hair. "I mean," Seth put out a wooden bowl as he poured in a little bit of soup. "I don't want him getting hurt, you know? I want him to be safe. You know how shitty everybody here can be like. Hook and his boys, you know?" he asked.

Peter nodded. "Quite a liking you've taken to John, Seth. Maybe that's all he really needs – a big brother," he pout-smiled. "I never had one," he told Wendy. "Don't really want to remember much about my family either," he looked down, letting her in a little but still being uncomfortable with the topic.

"What if I don't want to be his big brother?" asked Seth.

"Are you saying you like John as in – you _like _John?" asked Nico. Suddenly, Seth was quiet. "So what you're trying to say is you're gay."

"Would there be a bloody problem if I was gay?" asked Seth, clenching a fist.

"No! Calm down! That's cool, man," Nico smiled. Seth looked down. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's just… I don't think John would look at me in the same light. I'm pretty sure he's interested in girls because I overheard him talk to you about Tigerlily. And besides, he's a kid and I'm some creepy Scottish guy in his early twenties. He might as well just call me a fucking pedophile," Seth looked down.

"Well seventeen compared to twenty three isn't all that bad of an age difference," Nico said. "Neither is sixteen to eighteen," he mumbled. "Right Wendy?" his cheeks flushed red. Wendy laughed it off a little, but tried to avoid saying anything further by gulping down some tea.

As Seth and Nico continued preparing meals for everyone and having conversations about their appreciation for John, both as a friend and as a secret admirer, Michael was as usual, in his own world, the twins Max and Jax were arguing, Chaddie was sleeping, and of course Peter and Wendy were just in their own little corner. "Do you want to go out today?" asked Peter. "Do you think maybe you're fine to walk?"

"As long as we don't go on a hike, I think I should be okay," Wendy smiled. "Why?" she asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Well, you're a girl and I know girls like girly things and there are a few girly things here on this island that you might be interested in. Plus, John's nowhere to be found and the boys are going out hunting later and I think for as long as I'm with you, nobody will be mistaking you for another damn deer," he laughed.

Wendy smiled and laughed lightly back. "Okay," she nodded. "Well if that's the case, I guess I have no choice but to hang around with you if I don't want to be shot in the other leg," she giggled. He nodded as he quickly chugged down the last of his soup and tea before getting up and placing it on the counter.

"Are you done?" he asked.

"Gee," Wendy sarcastically, yet jokingly, rolled her eyes as she looked down at her bowl. Peter's eyes followed and he laughed.

"Alright," Peter smirked. "Well as soon as you're ready, I'll just be outside waiting. I'll see you in a few," he picked up an apple from the counter and juggled it back and forth as he made his way outside.

He sat on a little wooden bench in front of his hut of a home as he bit into his apple and looked out into the distance. As he looked at the sea foam coloured sky, he instantly remembered Wendy's eyes, and as he stared at the raspberry-bush filled garden that sat before his home, he remembered the fiery shades of copper that scattered all throughout her hair. Many minutes passed by and Wendy soon made her way outside. She sat beside him on the empty side of the bench. "So where exactly are we going today?" she asked.

"A place," Peter said, his mouth filled with an apple. Wendy gulped a little, disgusted. "What?" he asked.

"I never eat with my mouth full," Wendy said.

"What?" asked Peter, raising an eyebrow.

Wendy shook her head, realizing what she had just said. "I meant I never talk with my mouth full. Sorry," she giggled lightly, looking down with shyness.

Peter smirked as he finished the last of his apple and simply threw it far enough to land into a little pond not too far away from the hut. He stood up and dusted off his pants. He held out his hand for her. "Ready to go?" he asked, and just as Wendy was about to entwine her fingers with his, he simply gave her a friendly high five as he trotted off as a signal for her to follow him.

Wendy followed after him and soon enough, the two of them ended up on the opposite side of the island. Their bare feet dragged across the white sand on the beach they were on, and every now and then would the shore crash against their ankles. The salty scent of the ocean breeze filled the air and seagulls were singing. "This is a beautiful place Peter," Wendy commented.

"Yeah, it's alright," Peter shrugged it off as he made his way to the edge of a dock on the bay. He dipped his feet into the water and splashed them around. "Sit down," he called her over, and so she followed. She didn't put her feet in, but instead sat cross-legged. "You afraid of water, Wendy Darling?" he asked with a teasing wink.

"No," Wendy shook her head. "Just… not clean water," she gulped as she looked down to find that the water Peter's feet were in was a murky green colour, and underneath were bunches and bunches of kelp. At the bottom of the water were a few bones of fishes and unwanted things, like bronze spoons, medals, and even old sandwiches.

Peter shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said. "But you know, when it all boils down to the last day of your life, you either say you once dipped your feet in an ocean filled with shit, or you were too big of a coward to walk barefoot in the dirt," he smiled. "What sounds more adventurous to you?"

"Doing neither and coming here and escaping my nagging parents," Wendy joked.

Peter laughed.

"I can kind of read people," Wendy gulped nervously. "And I know you must have been uncomfortable when everyone was talking about family earlier," she sighed. "And you don't have to tell me. But if you ever do need to tell anyone, I think I'm good at keeping quiet so you can always tell me. Besides, things always get worse if you don't let them out."

"I'll let you in on the story if you put your feet in the water," Peter smiled. "Like you said, things get worse if you don't let them out. You're missing out on hundreds of fish eating away the dead skin cells at the bottom of your feet, Wendy Darling," he laughed.

Wendy bit her lip as she thought it over. Soon enough, she slowly but surely, dipped her legs into the cold water before her. She splashed them around and giggled, as if she was a child again. "I don't even like beaches to be honest."

"But you're smiling. So I'm thinking you like them now," he winked.

"I guess so," Wendy replied.

"It's nice to enjoy the little things. Even if sometimes they're odd," Peter said as he looked off into the day sky, past the ocean, admiring the other little islands that sat alone in the distance. One of them was the infamous Skull Rock, a place that Peter didn't give much thought to. It wasn't that he didn't like that island, but it was simply that he didn't want to remember it.

"So I've let go. Now it's your turn," Wendy smiled.

"Um," Peter looked down. He swallowed his pride and was preparing to talk about his family, when suddenly, he saw something in the distance. "Hey, look!" he pointed at it, happy that now there was a distraction to drive them off topic. A violet-coloured tail with fins splashed up and down like a dolphin. As the little tail got closer, Wendy noticed that it wasn't like any other sea creature. The upper half of the creature was that of a young woman, and her hair was long, wavy, wet and mint green.

The young woman, who was outstandingly beautiful, made her way to a large rock that was just before the dock that Peter and Wendy were on. Her breasts were covered by her long hair. "Good morning Peter," she swooned, giving him a flirtatious wave.

"Hello," Peter waved.

"Who's this?" asked Wendy, her tone slightly snotty.

"Mermaid number one," Peter smiled at her.

The mermaid smiled at Wendy and just then, her eyes glowed a luminous shade of silver. "Hello there. Do you want to go for a swim?" she asked. Wendy reached her hand out for her as the mermaid got of the rock and slowly swam over. Peter gulped as he observed the two young women before him, both beautiful. As the mermaid got closer to Wendy, her smile grew from being calm to being more sinister, though Wendy didn't seem to notice.

She reached out her hand for Wendy's as her nails somehow grew longer and more dagger-like. Peter quickly got out of the water as he grabbed Wendy's hand and ran off the dock with her, bringing her onto the sand. A piercing shriek was heard just as the mermaid splashed back into the water and darted its way to Skull Rock. "What just happened?" asked Wendy, grasping her head as if she was light-headed.

"Mermaids are bitches," Peter shook his head. "One of them almost killed me."

"What do you mean?" asked Wendy.

"You don't want to know," Peter shook his head. "Are you okay?" he asked, putting a lock of hair behind her ear as he checked her for any bites and scratches.

She laughed lightly. "Yes, I'm fine, thanks. As far as I know, nothing attacked me. That mermaid… I just remember her reaching out for me, but I don't think she hurt me," Wendy said.

"Good," Peter said. He relaxed a little as he sat before her on his knees. He looked into her eyes as the corner of his lips formed into a little smile. "You sounded a little jealous back there."

"What?" asked Wendy, embarrassed.

"When I said hi to her, you asked me who it was and you sounded a little jealous," he teased.

"I wasn't jealous," Wendy rolled her eyes. "She just didn't look very friendly so I was just trying to be conscious of my surroundings," Wendy gulped as she looked down.

"Yeah, well you're right about that. Mermaids aren't very friendly at all. And I don't want you getting hurt," Peter bit his lip.

"You don't?" asked Wendy, looking at him.

"Um, yeah," Peter nodded.

The two of them sat there in silence as they gazed down at each other's lips. Wendy slowly leaned in but just before she could even connect her lips to his, he simply got up and she almost lost balance and fell face-first into the sand. "Um, I should um… continue showing you around, I guess," he said. Embarrassed, Wendy's cheeks flushed beet red as she got up and dusted sand off her skirt. She nodded as she followed Peter to their next destination.

Not too far away from them was Tinkerbell, hiding behind a tree in the forest behind the beach. Tears filled up her eyes as her wings slowly guided her to the ground. Fairies were known to be so small to only have one emotion at a time, and because of that, Tinkerbell was more than sad. She was unstable and vulnerable. Her body started trembling. Tinkerbell and Peter had known each other almost all their lives, and for all those days did Tinkerbell love him. However, seeing the way that Peter looked at Wendy was a way that he had never looked at her. Tinkerbell was hurt. She huddled herself into a corner against a little boulder as she embraced her legs and brought herself to an endless sob.


	12. Tinkerhell

"Peter!" called out Tarik, noticing Peter and Wendy in the middle of a forest. He ran out towards him. "I caught a deer! I'm bringing it home for dinner. You'll like it, it's a big one," he smiled proudly. "I spent all night last night looking for it!"

"Did you happen to find John? Nico and Seth are worried," Peter commented.

"No sorry," Tarik shook his head. "But I found our feast!"

"Did it also have long red hair and pretty eyes?" asked Peter.

"No, why?" replied Tarik.

"Because you nearly killed Wendy so I wanted to make sure that you didn't kill another girl and it was actually a legitimate deer this time, smart one," Peter laughed. Tarik looked down, embarrassed, but then laughed afterwards.

"Nope, I'm certain it's a deer."

"Well then that's good," Peter smiled. "I'm just showing Wendy around but we'll be looking forward to that dinner. Just make sure Nico and Seth cook it," Peter cringed.

"I know," Tarik laughed. "When I cook, it tastes like shit," he added. "Never again," he laughed again. Peter joined in for a quick laugh before Tarik left them, and Peter and Wendy continued to walk around the long island, making their way towards a little shack surrounded by coconut trees.

Back home, Nico and Seth were experimenting with new entrees, letting Chaddie taste test everything. "So what's the deal with John?" asked Chaddie. "Is he your new best friend?" he asked, looking down, disappointed.

"No," Seth shook his head. "We love you mate, but it's just that John's… special."

"He likes him," Nico smiled. "You know Seth, I could always be your wing man. John's my best friend. I can put in a good word for you if you wanted," Nico patted Seth on the back. Seth shrugged.

"I don't know if he'd be into me. I mean, just look at me," Seth looked at his reflection in the window. A scar covered one side of his jaw. "With this hairdo and all these tattoos, I probably look like a serial killer," he frowned. "And John's not like that. He's a good boy. And he's very reserved. You can tell by how he acts around everyone and the way he dresses himself up."

Nico smiled at Seth. He'd never seen Seth this happy before, but he was glad that it was because of John. If they ever knew that John never had any real friends before, they'd be even happier and cherish him all the more. Now that John was on a strange island with his brother and sister, he had made friends in less than a month that were surely keepers.

Back in the forest was a crying Tinkerbell, heartbroken and shattered to pieces. As she wiped away the last of her tears, her body started warming up to an ember colour. Furious, she sought help. She kicked off at the speed of light and flew her way to the center of the ocean, where the Jolly Rancher was calmly floating about. She pounded her fist on the glass window of Hook's office, where Smee was enjoying yet another mustard sandwich on his desk. Smee adjusted his glasses, at first in disbelief that Peter Pan's former sidekick was right in his midst. Smee quickly ran over the window and opened it, letting Tinkerbell in. She darted across the room and finally sat on the top of a shelf of drawers.

"Tinkerbell?" asked Smee. He lifted up his butter knife as he slowly paced towards the little pixie's direction. She shook her head and her hands furiously, pleading not to be killed. Smee lowered the knife as he let her speak.

"I need to talk to Hook," she gulped. "Please."

"And what's in it for us?" asked Smee.

"Answers," Tinkerbell gulped.

Smee nodded. "Alright then little lady," he sighed as he took his sandwich, knife, and plate with him and walked out of Hook's office. Not too long afterwards, Hook marched in, slamming the door behind him. His greased back hair was starting to lose hold of its shape. A little wavy strand of hair hovered just over his left eye.

"Tinkerbell," Hook greeted in a dark and low whisper. Tinkerbell shivered.

"Hello Hook," she gulped, greeting him nervously.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, pouring himself a glass of wine.

"I never thought I'd be saying this, but I need your help."

Hook raised an eyebrow cockily. "_My_ help? Oh, why ever would Peter Pan's bombshell need _my _help?" he asked with a smile forming on half of his lips. He walked over closer to her and bent down a little so his eyes met with her body.

"I've been replaced," Tinkerbell sighed, the red tone of her body going down to a more pale shade, showing off her more vulnerable side once more. "There's a new girl. Peter's been with her a lot. He kicked me out."

"And why should I help you?" Hook asked.

"Because if you do," Tinkerbell gulped. She never thought of the answer to it before, but then she had the perfect idea. "You'll know who she is and you can get rid of her. And it'll make Peter weak," she said. She knew it was wrong, but getting rid of Wendy meant that Tinkerbell and Peter could be together again, and if they were together again, all Tinkerbell would have to do would be to protect Peter and run away with him until they found another safe spot.

Hook pouted his lips and nodded his head. "That's not such a bad idea, pixie," he smiled. "And how exactly do you plan to do this? What do _you_ want?" he asked, his raspy voice going lower and lower with each word.

"I want you to help me to get him back. I want you to help me to at least show him that I'm… that I'm the better choice," she confessed. "I know you know magic, Hook. Please."

Hook grabbed her suddenly by the waist with his curved silver. She gasped at the sudden reach, afraid that he could easily rip her to shreds. "And you swear that you'll be able to weaken Peter? Why should I trust you when you're in love with him?"

"Because we live in a world filled with vengeful people," Tinkerbell bravely replied. "And you and I both know for a fact, that those people are the strongest," her eyes narrowed, referring to the both of them.

Hook released her from his fearful grasp as he walked over to a drawer in his desk and pulled out a little vial of some type of fuchsia coloured liquid. "We need to make a swap though, my dear," he said, sitting at the edge of his desk while playing with the vial with his only hand. "I will only give you this little growth potion if you, in return, give me just a little bag's worth of pixie dust."

"What do you need it for?" asked Tinkerbell.

Hook brought out a smoking pipe from his back pocket as his eyes grew redder with excitement. "It's nice to get high and be high at the same time, Tinkerbell," he whispered as a low chuckle followed. "I would love to find out how to fly, just like your friend. An old man like me only has so many years to live, and what's life like to die without knowing what it's like to touch a single cloud? Have pity on the senior," his eyes narrowed.

Tinkerbell gulped.

"So do we have a deal?" he asked.

Tinkerbell nodded. He walked over to her with a little pouch and held it before her. She simply rubbed her hands and blew into them, her breath turning into particles of pixie dust. The pixie dust flew and fell straight into the little bag. Hook then handed her the vial of the growth potion. "Now when you drink this, you'll be human. But only for twenty four hours," he smirked. "If you happen to change Peter's mind, then the other girl will be gone forever. But if you fail," he brought his face closer to her body as his eyes quickly scanned her body up and down. "You belong to _me_."

Hook held her chin up lightly with his hook. "Do we have an agreement?"

And with that, Tinkerbell replied, "yes."


	13. From Water to Wine

John happily strolled into his new happy home with his hair in a mess and his backpack slung over one shoulder. "Honey, I'm home," John called out in a cheery tone. Seth, his back turned to John, was washing wood bowls in their makeshift sink. He blushed and smiled to himself. He had been in relationships with girls before, as Nico said, he did date Tigerlily once, but he never felt truly happy. And plus, he was a sucker for artists, which was secretly why he was so close to Nico.

"Where've you been?" asked Nico lazily, carving away at his new wooden bird while his mouth was full, stuffed with meat and berries. "I made the best soup ever and you missed out and now that shit's cold so you won't be able to appreciate it."

"I'm sorry," John shook his head. "I went for a walk."

"That's a long ass walk," Seth laughed as he handed over a bowl of soup to John. "Sourpuss here thinks it's not going to taste good," he darted his eyes at Nico. "But I think it's still worth a try," he shyly pushed it forward.

John smiled at him and took the bowl. "Thanks," he added before taking a few sips from the soup. Although it was cold, it still was flavourful. "How were your nights, my wonderful friends?" he asked gleefully.

"The usual," Seth laughed. "Went out for a drink, cooked, drank, cooked, cooked, hunted, drank, cooked, drank…. Drank," he listed.

"I was lonely," Nico nodded. "Had nobody to talk to since you weren't here and everybody else was out. I slept and woke up and literally everyone was gone," he shrugged. "But there's always food so I just went and had that. Tons of it," he laughed. "You can't get enough of food."

John laughed back. "You didn't hit on my sister again, did you?"

"Nope," Nico shook his head. "As your friend, I totally respect that siblings are off limits. I've faced the fact that I, Nico the Lost Boy, will die alone," he dramatically said before pretending to cut his head off with his hand. He let his head fall limp on his shoulder and stuck his tongue out as the two other boys started laughing. "Your sister's out with Peter."

"Oh," John said, throwing his backpack on the floor. "What are they doing?"

"Getting laid," Seth laughed jokingly. "I'm kidding. But last time I checked he was showing her around. Tarik saw them not too long ago," he said as John looked over to find Tarik in the Lost Boys' backyard, roasting a deer on a stick by the campfire.

"I see," John nodded.

"Speaking of getting laid, is it bad that I'm still a virgin?" asked Nico. "John, you've got to be on the boat with me too, right?" he asked.

"Actually, not anymore," John blushed, looking down with a smile. Nico got up excitedly and hurried over to sit beside John. He started nudging him, eager to learn more about John's night. "I was with Tigerlily last night."

"Excuse me," Seth angrily threw a kitchen towel on the wooden counter. "I need a drink," his eyes shot Nico a deathly glare as he picked up a bottle of rum and made his way outside, shrugging himself past Tarik with a cold shoulder and standing by the farthest tree alone.

"What's up with him?" asked John.

"Everybody loves you," Nico nodded. "That's a good thing."

John raised an eyebrow, confused.

Nico looked around and leaned in so that only John could hear his voice. "I don't think he'd want me to tell you but if you really want to know… John… Seth's… Seth's gay," he explained. "I mean I guess maybe when he dated Tigerlily he was okay but maybe he just left her not only for her psycho family but maybe because he was still settling on his sexuality," Nico guessed.

John gulped and dropped his jaw. "I never would've thought that Seth was gay."

"Me either," Nico shrugged. "I mean it's cool but I think right now the whole John-Tigerlily thing is a bit of a sensitive topic to him," Nico bit his lip.

"Right. I know what you mean. It's always been the code to not bring up exes," John smirked.

"No John, he doesn't care about talking about Tigerlily," Nico gave him a look.

"Oh," John stood there with a blank expression on his face, realizing just what Nico had said.

"I'm going to go for a walk. Do you want to come?" Nico asked.

"I'm okay thanks," John nodded. "I think I'll stay here," he looked over at Seth, still drinking his alcohol in the back. Nico nodded and gave John a wave before leaving the Lost Boys' home. John walked over outside and inhaled the scent of the roast meat Tarik was working on. He took a sample on a stick from him and another to offer Seth. He walked over to Seth and gave him the deer meat that was skewed on a branch.

"Did you not like the soup?" asked Seth bitterly, taking the food from John.

"No, the soup was wonderful," John smiled. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Seth shook his head. It was odd that Seth wasn't talking much.

"Anything up? You don't seem like yourself today," John commented.

"I'm fine," Seth looked down before taking a bite of his meat.

"I'm sorry about bringing up what happened with Tigerlily," John gulped. "I know it didn't work out between the two of you in the past. Nico told me."

"What else did that dickhead tell you?" Seth replied.

"Nico also told me why you were upset."

"What do you mean why I was upset?"

John just looked at him.

"Oh," Seth looked down. "Well obviously this is a one-sided thing so I'd rather we just didn't talk," he looked over to the side. "I was talking to Michael the other day when you were gone and he told me you never really had any friends so I… I wanted to be able to take care of you," Seth gulped. "I wanted to be able to be that person to protect you and comfort you whenever you were down. I wanted to be there for you."

"You can be and you will be," John placed a hand on Seth's shoulder. "But as a friend," he bit his lip nervously. Seth nodded. "You're cool, Seth. You're alright. I'm sorry. I really am. But I do like you. Just… not in the same way that I like Tigerlily," John tilted his head to the side. "Please at least let us be friends."

"Alright," Seth nodded. "It'll be hard at first but I'm willing to try," he forced a smile, and with that, John smiled back. "So Nico's the one who told you? Because I haven't told anyone else other than he and Peter. Your sister was there, but I don't think she was paying attention."

"Yeah, it was just Nico," John nodded.

"I'm going to kill that little bastard," Seth shook his head. John laughed. Seth rose his bottle up to meet with John's lips. "You want a sip?" he asked. John smiled at him as he took it from his new friend and took a gulp.

"Hey, what about me? Can I have one?" asked Michael from the arch that led from their home to the backyard.

"Michael, no!" John angrily snapped.

On the other hand was Nico. He dragged his feet along the grass then to the sand, making his way to the Mermaid Cove. "You're alone," he started talking to himself. "Wendy has Peter," he sniffed. "Tinkerbell had Peter," he shook his head. "Tigerlily had Peter. Tigerlily had Seth. Tigerlily has John," he bit his lip. "You're all alone, Nico. You're not Peter, you're not Seth, you're not John. You're Nico. You're not outgoing, you're not built, you're not artistic," tears swelled in his eyes. "You're alone, Nico."

He sat on a rock by the cove and looked out to the distance when he saw a mermaid with a coral coloured tail swim towards him. He narrowed his eyes, not believing what he was seeing. Peter always came home with stories about mermaids, but only Peter and Seth had seen them. Seeing a mermaid was all new to Nico. As it got closer, Nico grew more and more infatuated with the mermaid's beauty. Her skin was a beautiful olive shade and her hair went down in burgundy coloured waves. Her eyes were big and round, with lilac coloured irises framed by curly black eyelashes.

She raised her body in the water only so that her chest down was covered by the blue ocean. "You look upset," her calming voice told him, now in front of Nico.

"I am upset," Nico nodded.

"Why?" she replied.

"Because I'm alone," Nico laughed faintly. "All my friends have someone and I don't."

"You don't?" asked the mermaid, lifting up her hand. Her delicate, slender fingers started tracing circles on Nico's knee. "That's unfortunate. But I don't really see how somebody so… attractive… would be alone," her lips slowly curled into a smile. "It's funny because I'm alone too."

"You are?" he asked nervously.

"Yes," she nodded. "What's your name?"

"Nico," he replied.

"Nico," she smirked. "It's very nice to meet you," her eyes twinkled, starting to glow that silver colour that Wendy once witnessed. "Do you like music, Nico?" she asked and he nodded, keeping his eyes locked on hers as if hypnotized. She started to hum a strange little tune, and he started to smile.

"That's a very beautiful song," Nico commented.

"I could teach it to you and tell you the words," she smiled. "But I can't go on the land," she shook her head. "Why don't you come in the water?" she asked. As he kept her eyes glued to her beauty, her fingernails started to grow long and sharp. Her hands started crawling behind him, like a spider, as her teeth began to turn sharp, triangular, and jagged.

"Yes," Nico nodded. "Teach me," he said.

"Come," the mermaid lifted herself slightly out of the water, resting her lap on Nico's as she placed her face before his, the only spot unconnected being their lips. "Let me show you what it's like to not be alone," she said. Nico took her face in his hands and brought her in for a kiss. And as that happened, the mermaid let a little chuckle escape as she started running her long, sharp fingernails down Nico's back, leaving cuts. Nico's eyes widened in pain as he realized the image that was now before him. The mermaid was in its complete form in front of him, with bones jotting out from her collar and sides, gills popping out from her cheeks, eyebrows gone, eyes completely white and a pair of red lips that surrounded her white razor teeth, dripping with saliva.

Nico screamed but just then, the mermaid took him in her arms and dragged him down under the water, his screams getting muffled by the bubbles that then escaped his mouth. It wasn't long after until the only sound there was, was silence, and the only thing that could be seen was red water.


	14. Handle With Care

**A:N:** Hi, everyone. I hope you're all liking the story so far. I'm actually really enjoying making longer chapters so I hope that these are getting better for you. Thank you for the favourites, follows, and reviews. Much appreciated. X

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Wendy gulped and pulled on a highly uncomfortable face as her bare feet slushed against the moist dirt beneath her, clothed in moss and earthworms. "What's the matter?" laughed Peter, observing the way her tongue stuck out and how her teeth clenched tightly onto her bottom lip. She groaned here and there as her eyes squinted. She tried to balance on her tiptoes walking through the marsh, but the dirt squishing in between her toes only made things feel stranger.

"I don't like getting dirty," Wendy shook her head. "It's disgusting. It's weird. It's… cringe-worthy," she sighed. "I grew up taking warm baths and I washed my face religiously and my mum always brushed my hair and I only went for dips in clean water. I hardly ever went to the beach," she gulped.

"Damn," Peter snickered. "Do you ever let your hair down, Wendy Darling?"

"I _so_ know how to let go," Wendy bickered back in a snap. "Don't talk to me like I don't know how to have fun! I know how to have fun, _Peter Pan_," she poked him strongly on the chest. He just laughed. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"What exactly do you qualify as 'having fun'?" he asked.

Wendy thought for a moment as the two of them continued walking, under the blue sky that started getting darker and darker, fading from an azure blue to a darker cobalt shade. "Well," she paused. "Like I told you when I first met you, I like to write stories. But when I'm not doing that, I like to read. And when I'm not reading, I like to knit. And when I'm not knitting, I sometimes play piano."

"Wow!" Peter smiled.

"Yes, it's wonderful!" Wendy smiled back.

"Wow!" Peter repeated, before starting to laugh. Wendy laughed for a little while too, before Peter finally replied, "That's the most boring shit I've ever heard of in my life!" and continued laughing.

Wendy stopped walking, her feet finally dug into the soil. She rested her fists on her hips and looked at him, not amused. "Excuse you, Peter, but at least I actually have hobbies that will be useful in my life. As far as I know, the only thing you do is eat and sleep! You don't even have any nice clothes – those have rips and tears all over!" she exclaimed.

"Well Knitty Poppins, why don't you fix it then?" he asked.

"I _knit_, I don't _sew_, Peter. There's a difference," she rolled her eyes.

"Very well then," Peter rested his side on a nearby tree. "At least I know how to survive under certain circumstances," he laughed, taking out a small red apple from his pocket. He started to chew on it again.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything? God, Peter. You're so irrelevant!"

Peter laughed. "Look down at your feet," he said, and with that, Wendy followed. She found herself slowly sinking in what was not soil at all, but quicksand. She started to squeal, but Peter didn't even seem to care. All he did was laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

"You need help?" asked Peter.

Wendy shook her head furiously. "No! I refuse to be a damsel in distress. I can save myself," she said, struggling to swim herself out. Peter walked over with a large branch in hand and raised an eyebrow. "No! I'm fine! Honestly, I'm fine. I can do this on my own. I don't need your help," she pushed the branch away.

"Alright, suit yourself."

Wendy started to drown more and more in the quicksand, when she finally decided to take up the offer of the fawn-coloured boy before her. She reached over for the branch as he gladly dragged her out. As she got closer to him, he reached out for her hands and pulled her out before falling backwards with her on top of his body, the two of them painted with dirt. They laid there in silence for a little while as Peter placed a mud-dyed strand of ginger hair behind Wendy's ear. Peter smiled a little. "The dirt isn't that bad."

"What?" Wendy asked.

"It's all over your face," Peter grinned. "But you know, Seth tells me all the time that putting mud on your face can give your skin tons of benefits," he laughed.

"Where?" asked Wendy, ferociously wiping her face everywhere but the spots that were covered in blotches of dirt. Peter laughed as he licked his thumb and wiped away the brown spots that covered her cheeks and her chin. "Is it gone?" she asked.

"Yeah," Peter smiled as he slowly crept from underneath her and stood back up again. He held out his hand for her as he helped her get back up to her feet. She looked up to find that it was getting far too late. The sky was blackening and the stars were coming out to shine.

"Peter," Wendy tugged lightly on his arm. She yawned. "Don't you think we should be heading back home now?" she asked. "We should probably sleep."

"Yeah we can sleep," Peter smiled. "You said you know how to let go, right?" he asked. Wendy nodded eagerly. "Well I hope you don't mind being roommates with bats," he laughed as he threw away his apple core and started walking towards a cave. Wendy followed. They eventually made their way to the cave and Peter made a little campfire inside to warm the both of them up.

The fire sat between the both of them like a divider. The ember flames flickered, giving light and shadows to their faces, animating them with different shades of yellow and orange. The two of them sat there in silence, but smiled at each other. "I guess a cave isn't that bad," Wendy laughed. Just then, a spider started crawling up her arm. She started screaming. She jumped up and started dancing like a maniac, causing Peter to roll over and laugh on the ground. She ran over and leaned against Peter's body, grasping onto his shoulders as she screamed. He simply flicked off the little arachnid into the fire as she started to relax. As soon as the both of them were calm again, they looked into each other's eyes, with Wendy in Peter's arms. "I'm scared of spiders," she commented.

"I can see that," Peter smiled, looking down at her and switching his focus from her eyes, to her lips, to her eyes back again. "You're a funny girl Wendy," he smiled. "You act so independent but you can't even tell a little spider to fuck off."

Wendy smirked a little as she laughed to herself. "Everybody has fears Peter. It just so happens that mine is a stupid little one. I wish I was like you," she sighed. He raised an eyebrow, confused. "You're so fearless," she complimented. It brought a little smile upon Peter's face. He brought her in closer with his arm as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Believe me Wendy," he sighed. "The strongest people are not as they seem," he simply said, and after a few seconds of silence, he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the rock wall of the cave. "Go to sleep Wends," he told her.

"_Wends_?" she asked.

"Go to sleep Knitty Poppins," he smirked. Wendy laughed as she cradled her head into the crook of his neck, the two of them then drifting off to a peaceful sleep.

And in the morning, when the sun set fire to the clouds and rose in the air in its golden glory, Wendy found Peter playing a flute at the mouth of the cave. "That's a lovely song Peter," Wendy crawled over to sit beside him. "You didn't tell me you played music."

"Yeah well," Peter shrugged. "I play music," he laughed. She laughed back. The both of them sat there looking at each other in silence once again, and as usual, the silence had to be broken by not actions, but words. "We should start getting home. Um… don't want you getting hungry," Peter scratched the nape of his neck.

"O-of course," Wendy stuttered as she blushed, the both of them getting up on their feet. "You lead the way."

Just as they were about to leave the cave, Peter was dragged back by a stranger and his back fell straight to the ground. Wendy gasped in shock as a middle-aged man stood before her, caressing the blade of his fine sword. It was none other than Captain James Hook. "Hello there, Peter's friend. How do you do?" he greeted gleefully.

"Who the hell are you?!" asked Wendy, confused and afraid.

"Captain James Hook at your service," he gave a noble bow. "Or _Hook_, for short."

Peter got up and punched Hook right in the jaw. "Fuck off, Hook!"

"Damn," Hook muttered. "You got a lot stronger Pan. I'm proud of you. Last time you punched me in the face, I thought that fist of yours was a pillow. Have you been taking Martial Arts lessons?" he asked. Peter pulled out a dagger from his back pocket and held it to Hook's face.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Oh, I came by to just pick up some rosemary and dill weed. It's potluck tonight on the Jolly Roger," Hook smiled as he lifted up a few strands of hair using his sword. "You know, I remember you being blonder last time I saw you. Have you done something different with your hair?" he asked.

"Shut up and quit messing around," Peter rolled his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"Well Peter," Hook sighed. "I am normally a very forgiving old man, but there are some things that can't be forgotten," he looked down at the crooked silver that replaced what once was his left hand.

Peter gulped. "It was a _hand_, Hook. A fucking hand. I could've decapitated you if I wanted to!" he screamed. "You tried to hurt my friends. You tried to kill them!" he added. "It's one thing to not be forgiven for chopping off a bloody hand, but it's another to not be forgiven for trying to murder somebody close to me."

Hook shook his head and clicked his tongue. "It's another thing to not be able to cook properly because of this little asshole on my wrist, but life goes on, boy. At least mine anyway," Hook made a quick cut on Peter's cheek.

"How did you know I was here?" exclaimed Peter as he tried to lunge to hit Hook, but Hook dodged.

"I've been here since last night," Hook smiled. "One of you snores really loudly but I can't tell who it is since you sound like a girl, Pan," he laughed. "What kind of name is Peter Pan anyway? Did you have a sister named Frying?"

"Quit joking, that's my job!" Peter whined as he made a cut on Hook's arm.

"Fine, I'll stop," Hook shrugged, before just then making another cut on Peter's face, just at his forehead. "Do you know how many things I've had to stop doing because you cut off my fucking hand? You little bastard! I'm done with you always trying to meddle with everything and word is you're trying to steal my ship! What did I ever do to you, Peter?!" he exclaimed.

"I already told you, you tried to hurt my friends!" Peter exclaimed. "Seth almost died because of you! You tried to kill my best friend so it was only fair that I tried to get rid of yours!" Peter exclaimed.

"Who's laughing, boy? None of my mates are dead!" Hook laughed.

"I didn't say your best friend was your crew, I said your best friend was your left hand," Peter smirked. Hook rolled his eyes.

"Jokes of a sixteen year old boy, Pan," Hook lunged forward. "You really are the boy who never grew up," his eyes narrowed. Peter floated up a little higher as he started laughing, looking down at the middle-aged pirate, jumping in the air like an idiot to try and get a swing at him. Hook smiled as he looked over at Wendy. "Alright then," he hummed. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Wendy. What the _fuck_ do you want?" she asked, backing up slowly and feeling her way against the trees and the side of the cave for anything she could defend herself with.

"We could always use more young women on board," Hook chuckled as he walked over to her and cornered her against the side of the cave. She gulped nervously as her throat swelled up inside. He started caressing her cheek with his hook as he pressed his face close to hers, his moustache right by her ear. "What do you say you come aboard my ship?" his grimacing voice whispered.

"Step away from her, asshole!" Peter flew down and pushed Hook away from Wendy. Just then, Hook turned around enough to swing his sword, making a little slash against Peter's chest. Peter squirmed in pain, letting out a groan as he stabbed Hook in the thigh. Hook screamed in agony as Peter pushed him off the cliff where the cave sat, sending a screaming Hook down into the water.

"This is not the end, you little bastard! The young are not always the wisest!"

"Neither are the prehistoric!" Peter argued as Wendy started laughing, more relaxed now. Hook disappeared as he swam away to his ship. Peter crashed down on the ground, grasping onto his chest with his hand. His hand slowly started getting painted with blood.

"Are you okay?" asked Wendy, rushing to his aide.

Peter looked up at her, the answer already being obvious. "My fucking chest is bleeding. Of course I'm fine," he replied with all sarcasm. Wendy frowned as she took his hand and placed it off of him. His hand and wrist, coated in blood, sat at his side as Wendy looked at his shirt, slowly getting stained red.

Wendy ran her finger down the slash. It wasn't bleeding too much, but it still was an injury. Wendy looked around and saw a little bush of Aloe Vera. "Peter," she shook her head. "How deep is it?" she asked. He took off his shirt, leaving her speechless as she saw the planes and abs that were on his body, the muscle he had gained from all the years of fighting and running away from Hook.

"It's not half bad but I'll survive," Peter looked down, but it looked terrible.

"You took care of me," Wendy raised up her skirt as she took off the bandage that Peter put on her when she was hit by Tarik. "So I'll take care of you," she looked at him, dipping the bandage in a little stream behind her as she wiped away the blood. She reached for some Aloe Vera and rubbed it over the wound. It stung Peter a little, but not too much. She continued to wipe away the blood, repeatedly wringing out the blood in the stream, before finally bandaging him up around the torso. After she was done, he sat there looking at her in silence. He didn't break the silence that time, but just smiled.

Wendy washed his shirt in the stream as she helped him limp his way back to the cave. She picked out some berries from a bush nearby and gave some to him. The two of them fed on the little fruits in silence. "You didn't have to do that," Peter said. "I can take care of myself. Honestly," he smirked.

"Well," Wendy looked at him. "You did protect me back there, and like I said," she smirked. "You took care of me. It's only right that I do the same," she explained. Peter smiled as he wiped away a little spot underneath her lip. "What was that?" she asked.

"You had some berry residue by your lip," he winked.

She looked down, a little embarrassed, but still smiled. She looked back up at him as she placed her hand on his jaw, covering the dirt marks on his face that he still failed to wash off after their incident in the mud. "What's your story Peter?" she asked.

"I don't like to talk about my life before this one," Peter shook his head. "Maybe one of these days I'll tell you," he looked down. "But nobody's really known."

"You're very strange, Peter Pan," Wendy commented. "You're funny, sarcastic, brave, strong," she said, a smile appearing on his face. "But you're mysterious, sensitive, caring… vulnerable," she added, as the smile disappeared.

"Is that bad?" Peter asked.

"No," Wendy smiled. "I quite like it."

"You like what?" asked Peter.

"I like you," Wendy gulped.

"But I'm a fuck-up," Peter pouted.

"I know," Wendy laughed. "But those are the best kinds of people in the world," she whispered as he smiled at her. That entire day, they spoke a lot, but it was the silence that connected them in a way that words never could.


	15. High

_**A/N:**_ Hello! Hope everybody is enjoying the story so far. I've made some time now so that in the morning or before I sleep I'll try to write a little. Besides, it keeps me calm. The next few chapters are going to be a bit longer. I hope that's alright. Thank you again for all the strong support. X

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As night fell once again above all of Neverland, Seth finished lighting the campfire in the back. Tarik finally grilled (for what seemed like the seventh time) the deer that he marinated. John couldn't stop squirming, sitting in the corner. "What's got you so excited?" asked Michael, playing his game in a hurry before the juice of its battery finally died. He let out a large gusty breath, disappointed that, like his siblings had said, there were no outlets where they were. Michael would have to say goodbye; his gaming days were far over.

"Tigerlily's coming," John explained. "I saw her this morning while painting," John pulled out a nude sketch of the young lady, handing it over to Michael, who pulled on a disgusted face. Michael looked as if he was about to vomit. "I invited her for dinner. I invited Tigerlily for dinner," he called out to his friends. "I hope that's okay."

"Tigerlily?" asked Chaddie. John nodded. "Oh my, my, my," he shook his head feverishly. "Not Tigerlily. Can't be Tigerlily. Seth, John invited Tigerlily over," Chaddie started twisting back and forth with nervousness. Seth sighed as he gave John a look. The way his eyes met with John's made John feel guilty, yet comforted.

Seth looked back over at Chaddie. "It's fine Chads," Seth nodded. "If she's who makes John happy," he looked over at John and smiled at him. "Then I don't see a problem with him being that way."

John mouthed a little 'thank you' before Tarik, angrily and impatiently, screamed "can we eat now?" And with that, everyone laughed and helped themselves to countless servings of tea, rum, beer, cherry stew, and marinated deer. Even Michael had helped himself to a few bottles of alcohol, and with everyone drunk and overjoyed, nobody could stop him.

"John?" whispered a seductive little voice. John turned his head to find Tigerlily at the archway to the backyard, holding a basket of fruit and potatoes in her hands. "Hi, can I come out?" she asked. John whispered as she walked over to him. The two of them exchanged kisses on the cheek as she set down the basket of goods. All of the Lost Boys ran over to help themselves to food except for Seth, who stayed at his usual spot by the tree that never moved. Seth glared over from the little distance. The way his eyes saw Tigerlily reflected his feelings towards her. He felt for her nothing other than hate, disgust, jealousy, and of course fear, for it was Seth who knew Tigerlily more than she even knew herself, and it was Seth who knew what a rancorous snake she truly was.

Seth bitterly bit into his apple and gulped all of his cherry stew at once. He dragged his feet over to Tigerlily, dividing the two from each other as John left for second servings. "Tigerlily, how nice to see you here," Seth sarcastically greeted.

"Seth," Tigerlily raised her nose in the air, looking at him with pride and courage.

"How have you been?" he asked, taking a sip from his bottle.

"Only the best since I left you," Tigerlily gave him a sour smile.

"Since _you_ left _me?_" asked Seth. Tigerlily nodded.

"That is what happened, is it not?" she asked.

"Don't talk to me like that," Seth shook his head. "We all know _I'm _the one who left your stupid ass crying in the middle of the jungle, and we all know that you're not as innocent or as native as everyone thinks you are. Isn't that right?" he closed up on her, his lips right by her earlobe. "_Amara?_" Seth asked, and with that, Tigerlily gulped. "What do you want from John?" he asked.

Tigerlily looked around as she dragged Seth with her into a corner where nobody could hear them. Suddenly, her accent changed to a heavy Russian tone. "Listen Seth, you know very well what I want from John and by now you should know that I _always_ get what I want. _Always_," she hissed.

"Maybe you did before," Seth whispered. "But you listen to me. It only takes one pathetic thing for you to do and I'll tell John everything you don't want him to know. How long until you tell him your real name?" he asked. Tigerlily was silent. "And how long until you tell him about your father and your favourite place to –"

Tigerlily cut him off. "Shut up dammit," she placed her fists on her hips.

"Listen," Seth's eyes narrowed. "I care about John. In fact, we all do. I talked to his little brother and do you know what Michael said? He said John's never really had friends. So I don't want to see you pushing around that innocent teenage boy past his limits."

"I know very well that he's never had friends because John told me," Tigerlily argued.

"Then if you already know," Seth backed up a little. "You should also know that if you do anything to hurt him, I'm going to skin your stupid little ass faster than you can scream for your daddy, and I'm going to burn you alive. Do you hear me?" he asked. Tigerlily looked at him with a poker face expression, although her heart was racing inside. "Are your feelings for John real, Amara?" he whispered in a low voice.

"Nowhere as real as yours," Tigerlily leaned in. "What's it like being a queer?"

"Spectacular," Seth raised an eyebrow, not showing how angered he truly was. "How about you, Amara?" he asked. "What's it like being a heartless bitch?" he smiled. Tigerlily dropped her jaw and just then, Seth laughed, took another gulp of his drink, and walked away.

Tigerlily stood there, not knowing what to do when suddenly; she blew on her fingers, making a whistle noise. Everyone looked over. She cleared her throat and returned to the accent that everyone believed was her own. "Why don't we spice up the party?" she asked, looking over at John. "Has anybody ever heard of pixie dust?" she asked.

"What's that?" asked the corrupted, yet innocent Michael.

As he walked up to her, she poured a little bit of the gold dust in his hand before setting it on fire, smoking in the palm of his hand without burning the face of his skin. "It's a way to let your fears go," she smiled as she threw a vial in the campfire. The glass exploded, sending shards everywhere as the golden dust flew in the air, giving off that familiar golden steam. Everybody inhaled it, but Seth backed away and hid inside the hut, watching from the window. Max and Jax danced wildly like animals, leaping from logs that were set out in the back. Chaddie simply sat on the ground and looked up at the sky, bursting with uncontrollable laughter. Michael looked around, happy with everything that surrounded him and Tarik couldn't help but pig out on food.

Tigerlily made her way to a wooden picnic bench in the back. She stood on the table as she rested her hands on her hips. She looked around at each and every boy proudly. "Hey boys!" she screamed, every boy soon enough giving her their undivided attention. Even if Seth was highly annoyed with her, he wanted to see just exactly she was trying to propose.

"We're just getting started," she smirked. "Let's start the _actual_ party," she said as she looked over at Max and Jax, who started playing the drum and flute. Tigerlily started to dance in a very suggestive manner, even in front of poor young Michael. It wasn't long before she started untying her clothes off of her body, and it surely wasn't long before she got every Lost Boy shirtless.

"Dumb slut," Seth rolled his eyes, looking away from the scene as a naked, wild Tigerlily leapt onto John and started placing kisses all over his face. Seth gulped the last of his drink and threw it into the sink as he started walking towards the room he shared with Tarik and Nico. "Nico," he called out, his words slurring as he got closer and closer to the empty beds. "Nico?" he asked again, but he was gone. "Shit."

Seth ran out of the hut and started calling out for him. "Nico! Nico!" he exclaimed, hoping for an answer as he pushed his way past large leaves, bushes, and thorns. "Nico!" he yelled, choking back his tears, worried that the boy he knew since they were children was going to disappear forever. "Nico! Please!" he screamed. "Give me a fucking sign! Anything! Anything!" his voice was breaking and getting raspier, the louder and louder he got. As his body got scraped with thorns, his forehead started dripping with sweat. Crimson started rolling down his legs and arms as tears formed in his eyes and raced down his cheeks. "Nico!" he sighed with relief, noticing a familiar bush of brown hair lying down on the beach. "Thank God I've found you," he smiled, rushing over to his side.

"I was so worried! You missed it man," Seth slowed down his speed from a frantic run, to a gentle jog, to finally a casual walk. He wiped away the sweat and tears from his face. "You won't believe who I ran into. Tigerlily! She came to our dinner because John invited her and now she's trying to get a gangbang with everyone or something," Seth rolled his eyes. Finally, he realized the only reply he received was the sound of silence. "Nico?" he asked. Walking closer to him, he started to get more and more afraid. "Nico?"

Seth slowly walked closer and closer to the limp body by the rocks, as the shore crashed against him. Seth kneeled before him, tears swelling up again as he rolled Nico over to his back. Seth screamed at the sight as tears rolled down his face. Before him was a skinned boy. His smile had cut down from his chin and the blood painted his body from his jaw to his chest. His arms showed nothing but exposed muscle and his rib bones jotted out from his skin. His eyes were blank, staring straight up at the night sky. Seth screamed as he curled into his knees, sobbing at the image before him. Seth didn't care if Nico was covered in blood. Seth cradled the dead body and held him in his arms, crying as he rested his head on Nico's shoulder. He let his tears wash away the red on Nico's shoulder as he continued to sob and scream, not caring if anybody could hear. The screams were almost deafening, like a banshee. Seth felt like his world came crumbling down.

As Seth cried with the dead sixteen year old boy in his arms, nostalgia filled his veins like adrenaline. All he could remember were all the memories he shared with Nico. He remembered when Nico was but a little four year old, abandoned by his parents on an island. He remembered when he was eleven and he found Nico crying in a cave. He remembered telling him everything was going to be okay, and bringing up Nico like his own brother ever since. Seth remembered the two of them being orphans and one day meeting a young boy named Peter, who they became friends with. He remembered the three of them recruiting other abandoned boys and forming a brotherhood.

Seth remembered all the little in-betweens. Seth remembered the little arguments over whose it was in games, over who got to go first, over who made the better meal, over who was the better hunter, and over who was the bravest or smartest. But it wasn't just the little arguments that Seth remembered as he held him in his arms. Seth remembered all the times that Seth was confused about his sexuality, and when Nico was there to say he was still his hero no matter what he was. Seth remembered being fooled by Tigerlily and Nico joking about her appearance. He remembered the late night drunk talks with him, when they'd look up at the sky and daydream about what life would be like if their parents never left them behind. Seth remembered being young and free, hunting things with the one he called 'Little Brother' and teaching him new skills.

He remembered when Nico cried and when he held him to say it was okay, and he remembered when Nico did the same to him. He remembered learning to fly with the first time, when they and Peter watched the sun set from the softest of clouds. Seth remembered all these things, but most of all, remembered when he and Nico promised each other to fulfill their dreams of leaving Neverland, finding a nice home somewhere out in the real world, and living together as the brothers they always felt they were.

But as he traveled back to all those memories in his mind, his heart started to shatter. He became more and more unstable. "I promised I would protect you," he whispered into the corpse's ear. "But I failed you," he added before screaming once again, lifting his head up to howl like a wolf would to the moon.

As Seth wiped away the last of his tears, he dragged his feet back home. Halfway through the jungle that hid the Lost Boys' hut from the outside world, he ran into John, who stepped out for fresh air. "Hey," John placed his hand on Seth's shoulder. "What's up? Have you been crying?" he asked, looking into the puffy red eyes before him.

"Nico's dead," Seth gulped.

"What?" asked John, not believing him at first. He forced a little smile. "Seth, what are you saying? You're joking right?" he asked.

"No," Seth shook his head. "Nico's… Nico's dead John," he looked straight into John's eyes as tears glossed them. "Nico's gone. He's gone," he whispered, although his whisper almost sounded like a scream. "And he's gone forever," he lastly added before breaking out once again into tears. And with that, John took Seth into his arms, the two of them standing at the same height. Seth sobbed as he leaned his face into the crook of John's neck, wrapping his arms around him as John patted him on the back.

John wiped away his tears but held them back, wanting to be strong for Seth. "What's up?" asked Tarik, calling out from inside the house. And with that, the two of them explained. And with _that_, all the Lost Boys wept as Seth led them to the body on the shore. Tigerlily came along with them. As they sobbed at the foot of the dead boy before them, the mermaid to whom Nico succumbed to, met them by the dock.

"Did you do this?" asked Seth. The mermaid looked down at Nico and tilted her head. "Did you do this to him?" he repeated in an angrier tone.

"Seth, right? You're on of Peter's boys," the mermaid gave him a crooked smile. "I thought the Lost Boys were supposed to be the smartest and most clever," she pouted. "I don't think he learned well from you not to speak to us."

"Don't change the topic! Answer the fucking question! Did you do this?!" he exclaimed.

The mermaid sighed. "It's not like I wanted to. How else am I supposed to keep this young face?" she asked as she laughed. "Been alive three hundred years you bastard. You could at least credit me for looking this good."

"Too bad it doesn't make you beautiful on the inside, you worthless bitch," Seth argued. "You killed him! You killed Nico! Why? If you didn't want to, did you really just take him so that your prehistoric ass could look as young as me?!" he exclaimed.

"I had orders," the mermaid raised an eyebrow.

John and Seth looked at each other as the rest of the Lost Boys continued to weep. "And who exactly gave you these orders?" asked John, trying to remain calm.

"A friend of mine," the mermaid smiled. "Actually," she sighed. "I think you might know her. She's standing right behind you," she gleefully replied. Her eyes suddenly darkened as she started to sink back into the water. "Glad I could help," she hissed before diving back in completely and disappearing back to Skull Rock.

John slowly turned around to meet eyes with Tigerlily, gulping with fear. "You did this?" he asked, eyes narrowing. Tigerlily was silent. "You got somebody to kill my best friend? Seth was practically his brother too! He was only sixteen, Tigerlily! He was special to all of us!" he screamed. "Tigerlily!" he exclaimed.

Tigerlily stood there but after a while, finally spoke. "Do you know how to play chess John?" she asked. John raised an eyebrow. "Do you know why the King is hidden behind all of its rooks, knights, bishops and pawns? Because those represent all the walls that prevent him from being vulnerable," she walked up to him and poked him in the chest. "And all of you Lost Boys – you're nothing but pawns, protecting your pathetic little King from being hurt," Tigerlily smirked. "It was nice knowing you, but I was really just doing my job. Sorry John," her eyes narrowed. She grew more and more sneer as he grew more and more confused.

"What the fuck are you saying?" John asked.

"Nico was a pawn, and one by one," she eyed all of the Lost Boys. "You'll slowly go and get weaker and weaker. And before we go to that King of yours, we have to get rid of the Queen," Tigerlily frowned.

Everybody sat in silence, but everyone wanted to rip Tigerlily's throat into pieces. "Tigerlily ran a finger across John's lips. "I guess that's what I liked so much about you. You were always so quiet," she smiled. "But keep this in mind Johnny Darling," she paused. "The quiet ones are not always the smartest. I don't need you," she pouted. "I have friends remember?" she asked, looking out into the ocean before walking away, leaving everyone too dumbfounded to chase after her.

"What exactly is she trying to say?" John looked at Seth, confused.

Seth sniffed. "By King she's talking about Peter," he gulped.

"And?" asked Michael.

"She wants to take down the Queen. She…" he paused. "Wendy's next."


End file.
